The Kathamrita

M.'s own Bengali record of Sri Ramakrishna's conversations, 1882 to 1886, the source of the Gospel, with the Bengali, its transliteration and the English beside every passage.

M.188 sittings

Glance
  1. 1Introduction
  2. 2A Short Life of Sri Ramakrishna
  3. 3The birth of Sri Ramakrishna: his father Kshudiram and his mother Chandramani: the village school: the service of Raghuvir: the company of holy men an…
  4. 4Sri Ramakrishna was born in the house of a good brahmin in the village of Kamarpukur, in the district of Hooghly, on the tithi of the bright second of…
  5. 5Opinions differ about the date of Sri Ramakrishna's birth:
  6. 6The horoscope of Ambika Acharya. This horoscope was drawn up at the time of the Master's illness, on the third of Kartik 1286, 1879 by the English rec…
  7. 7Kshetranath Bhatta's reckoning, made in 1300, is 1754.10.9.0.12. By this reckoning, Saka 1754, the tenth of Phalgun, a Wednesday, the bright second, P…
  8. 8The new horoscope of Narayan Jyotirbhushan, made at the Math. By this reckoning: the year 1242, the sixth of Phalgun, a Wednesday; 1836, the seventeen…
  9. 9The Master lived in the human body for fifty-one or fifty-two years.
  10. 10The Master's father, Kshudiram Chattopadhyay, was a man of strict observance and deep devotion. His mother, Chandramani Devi, was simplicity and kindn…
  11. 11As a boy Sri Ramakrishna was called Gadadhar. After learning a little reading and writing at the village school, he stayed at home and served the imag…
  12. 12He could sing, and had a very sweet voice. After hearing a jatra he could sing most of its songs. From childhood he was always joyful. Everyone in the…
  13. 13Next to the house was the house of the Lahas, where there was a rest house for guests, and holy men were always coming and going. Gadadhar kept the co…
  14. 14On the conjunction of the sun, the moon and Mercury in the ascendant, see the Kathamrita for the fifteenth of July, 1885.
  15. 15One day he was going through the fields to Anur, a village near his home. He was then eleven years old. The Master told in his own words how he sudden…
  16. 16After Kshudiram's death the Master came to Calcutta with his eldest brother. He would then have been seventeen or eighteen. In Calcutta he lived for a…
  17. 17Rani Rasmani founded the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, two and a half kroshas from Calcutta, on Thursday the eighteenth of Jyaishtha, 1262, the day of…
  18. 18All this is taken from the deed of sale of Rani Rasmani's Kali temple: Deed of conveyance, Date of purchase of the temple grounds, 6th September, 1847…
  19. 19After he had done the worship for some days, Sri Ramakrishna's state of mind changed. He was always absent-minded, and would sit by the image of the d…
  20. 20At this time his relatives arranged his marriage, thinking that once he was married his state might change. He was married to Saradamani Devi, the dau…
  21. 21Rani Rasmani's allowance: 1265, that is, 1858 A.D. To Sri Sri Kali: Sri Ramtarak Bhattacharya, 5 rupees. To Sri Sri Radhakanta: Sri Ramakrishna Bhatta…
  22. 22Some time after he came back to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar from his marriage, his state changed altogether. As he worshipped the image of Kali, w…
  23. 23He could no longer do the worship, and wandered about like a madman. Mathur, Rani Rasmani's son-in-law, began to serve him, regarding him as a great s…
  24. 24The Master did no more worship, and no more did he live the life of a householder: his marriage was in name only. Night and day, "Mother! Mother!" Som…
  25. 25At the temple there was a free kitchen, as there still is, and holy men and sannyasis were always coming. Totapuri stayed eleven months and taught the…
  26. 26The Brahmani had come earlier, in 1859. She guided him through many of the disciplines of the Tantras, and, regarding the Master as Sri Gauranga, read…
  27. 27Vaishnavcharan, a Vaishnava pandit, also came often. It was he who took the Master to the Chaitanya Sabha at Colootola. At that gathering Sri Ramakris…
  28. 28Vaishnavcharan had told Mathur that this was no ordinary madness but the madness of love: he was mad for God. The Brahmani and Vaishnavcharan saw that…
  29. 29The Master would weep, crying "Mother, Mother," and he was always talking with the Mother and taking instruction from Her. He used to say, "Mother, I…
  30. 30The Mother of the Universe had told the Master, "You and I are one. Live in devotion, for the good of men. All the devotees will come. Then you will n…
  31. 31The Master regarded his mother Chandramani Devi as another form of the Mother of the Universe and worshipped her as such. After the death of his eldes…
  32. 32The Master went on pilgrimage twice. The first time he took his mother with him, with Ram Chatterji and some of Mathur Babu's sons. The railway to Ben…
  33. 33The second pilgrimage was five years later, in January 1868 by the English reckoning, with Mathur Babu and his wife Jagadamba Dasi. His nephew Hriday…
  34. 34When Keshab Sen was meditating on God with his devotees in the garden at Belgharia, Sri Ramakrishna went with his nephew Hriday to see him; that was i…
  35. 35The Master's intimate disciples began to come to him from 1879 and 1880. By the time they saw him the madness had nearly passed. His was then the stat…
  36. 36Ram and Manomohan came and joined him towards the end of 1879; Kedar and Surendra came after them. Chuni, Latu, Nityagopal and Tarak came later. Betwe…
  37. 37Iswar Vidyasagar, Pandit Sasadhar, Doctor Rajendra, Doctor Sarkar, Bankim Chatterji, Mr. Cook from America, the devotee Williams, Mr. Misir, Michael M…
  38. 38Before the intimate disciples came, Krishnakishore, Mathur, Sambhu Mallick, Narayan Shastri, Gauri Pandit of Indesh, Chandra and Achalananda used to s…
  39. 39Many members of the Brahmo Samaj went to the Master often. Keshab, Vijay, Kali Bose, Pratap, Sivanath, Amrita, Trailokya, Krishnabehari, Manilal, Umes…
  40. 40At Kalna he met Bhagavan Das Babaji. Seeing the Master's state of samadhi, the Babaji said: You are a great soul; you alone are fit to sit on the seat…
  41. 41To realize the harmony of all religions the Master practised the Vaishnava, Sakta, Saiva and other moods, and on the other hand he repeated the name o…
  42. 42One day he said to the Mother, with longing, "Mother, I want to see how Your Christian devotees call on You. Take me there." Some days later he went t…
  43. 43The Master has many women devotees. He called Gopal's Mother "Mother," and used to address her as "Gopal's Mother." He saw every woman as the Divine M…
  44. 44The Master's devotees are countless. Some are known and some hidden; it is impossible to name them all. Many names will be found in the Kathamrita. As…
  45. 45Since he ended his divine play, how many have become his devotees, and are becoming so still! In Madras, Ceylon, the North-West, Rajputana, Kumaon, Ne…
  46. 46Janmashtami, 1310
  47. 1Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar
  48. 2Chapter One
  49. 3The Kali Temple and the Garden
  50. 4Sri Ramakrishna at the Dakshineswar Kali temple. The chandni and the twelve Siva temples. The paved courtyard and the Vishnu shrine. The Divine Mother…
  51. 5It is Sunday. The devotees have leisure, so they are coming in group after group to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar for a sight of the Paramahamsa. Th…
  52. 6The Chandni and the Twelve Siva Temples
  53. 7The Kali temple stands two and a half kos, some five miles, north of Calcutta, right on the Ganges. You step off the boat and climb a broad flight of…
  54. 8The Paved Courtyard and the Vishnu Shrine
  55. 9East of the chandni and the twelve temples lies a paved courtyard of brick. In the middle of the courtyard stand two temples side by side. The temple…
  56. 10The Divine Mother Bhavatarini, Mother Kali
  57. 11In the southern temple is a beautiful stone image of Kali. The Mother's name is Bhavatarini, She who carries souls across the sea of the world. The fl…
  58. 12The Natmandir
  59. 13In front of the Kali temple, that is, to its south, is the natmandir, a beautiful and spacious hall for music and worship. On its roof are Mahadeva an…
  60. 14The Storeroom and Kitchens, the Guest House, the Place of Sacrifice
  61. 15The courtyard is enclosed on every side: on the west are the twelve temples, and on the other three sides single-storeyed rooms. Among the rooms on th…
  62. 16The cooking for Vishnu's shrine is vegetarian. Kali's food offering has a kitchen of its own. In front of it the maidservants sit cutting fish with la…
  63. 17The Office
  64. 18In the row of rooms south of the courtyard are the office and the quarters of the staff. The treasurer and the clerk are always here, and the storekee…
  65. 19North of the courtyard is a row of single-storeyed rooms, with the gateway in the very middle. Gatekeepers keep watch here as at the chandni. Before e…
  66. 20The Master's Room
  67. 21In the north-west corner of the courtyard, that is, just north of the twelve temples, is the Paramahamsa's room. Right on its west side is a semicircu…
  68. 22The Nahabat and the Bakul Tree; the Panchavati
  69. 23Just north of the Paramahamsa's room is a square verandah, and north of that a garden path; beyond it another flower garden, and then the nahabat, the…
  70. 24A little farther north of the bakul tree is the Panchavati. Sitting at the foot of these trees the Paramahamsa went through many spiritual practices,…
  71. 25In the Panchavati stands an old banyan, and with it a peepul; the two have grown together as if they were one. Through great age the old tree is full…
  72. 26The Tamarisk Grove and the Bel Tree; the Kuthi
  73. 27Some way farther north of the Panchavati there is a fence of iron wire, and beyond it the tamarisk grove, four tamarisk trees in a row. A little to th…
  74. 28Going out northward from the courtyard gateway, one sees before one the two-storeyed kuthi. When Rani Rasmani, her son-in-law Mathur Babu and the fami…
  75. 29The Ghat for Washing Vessels, the Gazi Tree and the Two Gates
  76. 30Going east along the path between the courtyard gateway and the kuthi, one finds on the right a lovely pond with a paved ghat. Just east of the Kali t…
  77. 31The Duck Pond, the Stable, the Cowshed and the Flower Garden
  78. 32East of the Panchavati is another pond, called the duck pond. At its north-east corner are the stable and the cowshed, and east of the cowshed is the…
  79. 33From the southern end of the garden a path runs north along the bank of the Ganges as far as the bakul tree and the Panchavati, with flowering trees o…
  80. 34Very early, before the east has even reddened, when the sweet sound of the dawn worship begins and the shehnai plays the morning ragas, the gathering…
  81. 35There was a time when Sri Ramakrishna gathered flowers too. One day he was picking bel leaves from the bel tree before the Panchavati. As he plucked t…
  82. 36The Verandah of the Master's Room
  83. 37Along the east side of the Paramahamsa's room runs a verandah. One part of it faces the courtyard, that is, south. On this verandah the Paramahamsa wo…
  84. 38The Abode of Joy
  85. 39The Kali temple has become an abode of joy. Daily worship of Radhakanta, Bhavatarini and Mahadeva, food offerings, and the service of guests. On one s…
  86. 40March 1882
  87. 41Chapter One
  88. 42The First Meeting
  89. 43Your words are nectar, life to those who burn in sorrow. Poets have praised them; they wash away all sin. To hear them is a blessing, they are full of…
  90. 44The Dakshineswar Kali temple, on the Ganges bank. The temple of Mother Kali. It is spring, March 1882, a few days after the Master's birthday festival…
  91. 45When Does Ritual Work Fall Away?
  92. 46M. stands there and watches in wonder. It seems to him that Sukadeva himself is speaking the word of God, and that every holy place has gathered here.…
  93. 47M. had been strolling with Sidhu from one garden to another in Baranagore and had come upon this place. It was Sunday, he had leisure, so he had come…
  94. 48Sidhu is Sri Siddheshvar Majumdar, whose home is in North Baranagore.
  95. 49Entering by the main gate, M. and Sidhu came straight to Sri Ramakrishna's room. M. looked about him in wonder and thought, "Ah, what a beautiful plac…
  96. 50He had barely stepped out of the room with Sidhu when the sweet sounds of the arati began. All at once the gongs, bells, drums and cymbals rang out to…
  97. 51Talking as they went, the two walked from Bhavatarini's temple across the wide paved courtyard and came again to the front of Sri Ramakrishna's room.…
  98. 52Incense had just been burnt inside. M. had an English education; he could not simply walk into the room. Brinde, the maid, was standing at the door. H…
  99. 53Brinde said, "Yes, he is in this room."
  100. 54M.: How long has he lived here?
  101. 55Brinde: Oh, a long time.
  102. 56M.: Tell me, does he read a great many books?
  103. 57Brinde: Books, my child? It is all on his lips.
  104. 58M. had only lately finished his studies. Hearing that Sri Ramakrishna did not read books, he was all the more astonished.
  105. 59M.: I see. I suppose he will be doing his evening worship now? May we go in? Will you let him know we are here?
  106. 60Brinde: Go in, my children. Go and sit in the room.
  107. 61So they went in, and found no one else in the room. Sri Ramakrishna was sitting alone on the wooden cot. Incense had been burnt, and all the doors wer…
  108. 62M.: You will be doing your evening worship now, so we will take our leave.
  109. 63Sri Ramakrishna, still in that state: No, the evening worship, no, it is nothing of the kind.
  110. 64After a little more talk M. bowed and took his leave. The Master said, "Come again."
  111. 65On his way back M. began to think: "Who is this serene and gentle man, to whom I long to go back? Can one be great without reading books? It is a wond…
  112. 66Chapter Two
  113. 67The Second Meeting
  114. 68Salutation to that blessed Guru who has shown me the State of That which fills all things, moving and unmoving, the whole unbroken sphere.
  115. 69Guru and Disciple
  116. 70The second meeting was in the morning, at eight o'clock. The Master was just going to be shaved. There was still a little chill in the air, so he had…
  117. 71This was on the south-east verandah. The barber had come. The Master sat down on the verandah to be shaved and talked with M. now and then: the same w…
  118. 72Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell me, where is your home?
  119. 73M.: In Calcutta, sir.
  120. 74Sri Ramakrishna: And where are you staying here?
  121. 75M.: Here in Baranagore, at my elder sister's house. It is the house of Ishan Kaviraj.
  122. 76Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, Ishan's house!
  123. 77Sri Keshab Chandra Sen, and the Master's Tears before the Divine Mother
  124. 78Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, how is Keshab? He was very ill.
  125. 79M.: I heard so too. I think he is well now.
  126. 80Sri Ramakrishna: Why, I made a vow to the Mother for Keshab, an offering of green coconut and sugar. In the small hours I would wake up and weep befor…
  127. 81"Tell me, I hear a certain Mr. Cook has come? They say he is giving lectures? Keshab took me on board the steamer. Mr. Cook was there too."
  128. 82M.: Yes, sir, I heard something of the kind, but I have not heard his lectures. I do not know much about him.
  129. 83The Householder and a Father's Duty
  130. 84Sri Ramakrishna: Pratap's brother came and stayed here a few days. He has no work. He says, "I will live here." I heard he has left his wife and child…
  131. 85Chapter Three
  132. 86Salutation to that blessed Guru who has opened the eyes of one made blind by the darkness of ignorance with the healing salve of knowledge.
  133. 87M. Rebuked, and His Pride Broken
  134. 88Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Are you married?
  135. 89M.: Yes, sir.
  136. 90Sri Ramakrishna, shuddering: Oh, Ramlal! Alas, he has gone and got married!
  137. 91Ramlal was the Master's nephew and a priest of the Kali temple.
  138. 92M. sat silent, head bowed, stunned, like a man guilty of some grave crime. He began to think, "Is it such a sin to marry?"
  139. 93The Master asked again, "Have you a child?"
  140. 94M.'s heart was pounding. Fearfully he said, "Yes, sir, I have a child." The Master said again, sorrowfully, "Alas, he has a child already!" Rebuked, M…
  141. 95His pride began to crumble. After a while Sri Ramakrishna looked on him again with kindness and said tenderly, "You see, you had good signs. I can tel…
  142. 96What Is Knowledge? The Worship of Images
  143. 97M.: She is good, sir, but ignorant.
  144. 98Sri Ramakrishna, displeased: And you are a man of knowledge?
  145. 99He did not yet know what knowledge is, or what ignorance is. Until then he had believed that knowledge comes from learning to read and write and from…
  146. 100Sri Ramakrishna: Well, where does your faith lie: with God who has form, or with the formless?
  147. 101M., astonished, to himself: If one believes in God with form, can one believe in God without form? If one believes God is formless, can one also belie…
  148. 102M.: Sir, God without form. That is what appeals to me.
  149. 103Sri Ramakrishna: Very good. Faith in one of them is enough. Faith in God without form is good. Only, don't get the notion that this one alone is true…
  150. 104Hearing again and again that both are true, M. was dumbfounded. Nothing like this was to be found in all his book learning.
  151. 105His pride began to crumble a third time. But it was not yet wholly broken, so he ventured to argue a little more.
  152. 106M.: Sir, suppose I accept that He has form. But surely He is not the clay image.
  153. 107Sri Ramakrishna: Why clay? It is an image made of Spirit.
  154. 108M. could not understand "an image made of Spirit." He said, "But surely those who worship clay images should be made to understand that the clay image…
  155. 109Lecturing, and Sri Ramakrishna
  156. 110Sri Ramakrishna, displeased: That is the one thing with you Calcutta people! Nothing but giving lectures and explaining things! No one knows who will…
  157. 111This time, it seems, his pride was broken altogether.
  158. 112He began to think, "What he says is surely true. What need is there for me to go about explaining? Have I known God? Or have I any love for Him? 'He h…
  159. 113That was his first and last argument with the Master.
  160. 114Sri Ramakrishna: You were speaking of worshipping clay images. Even if it is clay, there is need of such worship. God Himself has arranged the many ki…
  161. 115"A mother has five children. Fish has come to the house. The mother has cooked the fish in many ways, to suit each one's stomach: for one a pilau of f…
  162. 116M.: Yes, sir.
  163. 117Chapter Four
  164. 118Salutation to Ramakrishna, the helmsman on the terrible sea of the world; salutation to that blessed Guru.
  165. 119The Way to Devotion
  166. 120M., humbly: How can the mind be fixed on God?
  167. 121Sri Ramakrishna: Always sing the name and the glories of God. And keep holy company: go now and then to God's devotees, to holy men. If you stay day a…
  168. 122"When a plant is young, you must put a fence round it. Without a fence the goats and cattle will eat it up.
  169. 123"Meditate in the mind, in a corner, in the forest. And always weigh the real against the unreal. God alone is real, that is, eternal; all else is unre…
  170. 124M., humbly: How should one live in the world?
  171. 125Sannyasa for the Householder: the Way, and Practice in Solitude
  172. 126Sri Ramakrishna: Do all your work, but keep the mind fixed on God. Live among them all, wife and son, father and mother, and serve them, as if they we…
  173. 127"The maid in a rich man's house does all the work, but her heart is in her own home in her village. She raises the master's sons as though they were h…
  174. 128"The tortoise goes about in the water; but do you know where her mind lies? On the bank, where her eggs are. Do all the work of the world, but leave y…
  175. 129"If you set out to live in the world without first gaining devotion to God, you will be caught tighter still. In danger, grief and pain you will lose…
  176. 130"Rub oil on your hands before you open a jackfruit! Otherwise the sticky milk clings to them. Gain the oil of devotion to God first, and then set your…
  177. 131"But to gain this devotion you must go into solitude. If you want butter, you must set the curd in a quiet place. If you keep stirring the curd, it wi…
  178. 132"And see, if this mind thinks of God in solitude, it gains knowledge, dispassion and devotion. But if it is left lying in the world it sinks low. In t…
  179. 133"The world is water, and the mind, as it were, is milk. Put milk into water and the two mix into one; the pure milk can no longer be found. But set th…
  180. 134"Along with this, discrimination is very necessary. Woman and gold are passing; God alone is the one Reality. What does money bring? Rice, dal, clothe…
  181. 135M.: Yes, sir. I have lately read the play Prabodha Chandrodaya, and it speaks of discrimination about what is real.
  182. 136Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, discrimination about what is real! Look, what is there in money, and what in a lovely body? Reason it out, and you find even in…
  183. 137The Way to See God
  184. 138M.: Can God be seen?
  185. 139Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, He can certainly be seen. Living in solitude now and then, singing His name and glories, discriminating about what is real: thes…
  186. 140M.: In what state of mind does one see Him?
  187. 141Sri Ramakrishna: Weep for Him with a longing heart and you will see Him. People shed a jugful of tears for wife and children; for money they weep floo…
  188. 142And the Master began to sing:
  189. 143O mind, call Her as one truly calls, and see how Syama can stay away! How can Syama stay away, how can Kali stay away? O mind, if you are single-heart…
  190. 144"Longing is like the red glow of dawn: once it comes, the sun will soon appear. After longing comes the vision of God.
  191. 145"When there are three pulls, then He shows Himself: the worldly man's pull toward his possessions, the mother's toward her child and the chaste wife's…
  192. 146"The point is this: you must love God. As a mother loves her child, as a chaste wife loves her husband, as a worldly man loves his possessions. Put to…
  193. 147"You must call on Him with longing. The kitten knows only how to cry 'mew, mew' for its mother. It stays wherever the mother puts it: now in the kitch…
  194. 148Chapter Five
  195. 149The Third Meeting
  196. 150He whose heart is joined to God in yoga, who sees the same everywhere, sees the Self dwelling in every being and every being in the Self.
  197. 151Narendra, Bhavanath and M.
  198. 152M. was staying at that time at his sister's house in Baranagore. From the day he had seen Sri Ramakrishna, he thought of him at every moment. It was a…
  199. 153Before he knew it, Sunday had come. Between three and four in the afternoon he reached the garden at Dakshineswar with Nepal Babu of Baranagore. He fo…
  200. 154Addressing a young man of nineteen and looking at him, the Master was talking at length, as though it gave him great joy. His name was Narendra. He wa…
  201. 155M. gathered that the talk was about worldly people attached to their possessions: how such people speak ill of those who talk only of God and of relig…
  202. 156Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: Narendra! What do you say? Worldly people say all sorts of things! But look, when an elephant walks along, all kinds of…
  203. 157Narendra: I shall think a dog is barking.
  204. 158Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "No, my child, not so far as that." Everyone laughed. "God is in all beings. Still, close company is only for good people; f…
  205. 159"Listen to a story. In a certain forest there lived a holy man with many disciples. One day he taught them: 'Narayana dwells in all beings; knowing th…
  206. 160"When the guru and the other disciples heard of it, they carried him to the ashram and began to give him medicine. After a while, when he came to, som…
  207. 161"The scriptures say, 'Water is Narayana.' But one kind of water is fit for the worship of God, while other water is fit only for rinsing the mouth, wa…
  208. 162A devotee: Sir, if a wicked man comes to do us harm, or does us harm, should we keep quiet?
  209. 163The Householder and Tamas
  210. 164Sri Ramakrishna: Living among people, you need to show a little of the quality of tamas to protect yourself from wicked people. But you must not turn…
  211. 165"In a certain meadow some cowherd boys used to graze their cattle. In that meadow lived a terrible poisonous snake, and everyone was very careful for…
  212. 166"Some days went by like this. The cowherd boys saw that the snake did not try to bite any more. They threw clods at it, and still it did not get angry…
  213. 167"Late in the night the snake came to. Slowly, with great pain, it crept into its hole. Its body was crushed; it had no strength to move. After many da…
  214. 168"Nearly a year later the brahmachari passed that way once more, and the first thing he did was ask after the snake. The cowherd boys said, 'That snake…
  215. 169"With wicked people you must hiss; you must frighten them, so that they do you no harm. But you must not pour venom into them; you must not do them ha…
  216. 170Different Natures. Are All Men Equal?
  217. 171Sri Ramakrishna: In God's creation there are all kinds of creatures and plants. Among the beasts are good ones and bad ones; there are fierce beasts l…
  218. 172"There are four kinds of jivas, of embodied souls: the bound, the seekers after freedom, the free, and the ever-perfect.
  219. 173"The ever-perfect: Narada and others like him. They remain in the world for the welfare of living beings, to teach them.
  220. 174"The bound: they cling to worldly things and forget God. Even by accident they never think of Him.
  221. 175"The seekers after freedom: those who long to be free. Of them, some can become free and some cannot.
  222. 176"The free: those who are not tied in the world to woman and gold, such as holy men and great souls, whose minds hold no worldliness and who always med…
  223. 177"Say a net has been cast into a pond. Two or three fish are so wily that the net never takes them; these stand for the ever-perfect. But many fish are…
  224. 178Worldly People: the Bound
  225. 179"The bound souls are tied by the woman and gold of the world, hand and foot. And they think that happiness lies in that very woman and gold, and that…
  226. 180"The bound souls do not think of God. If they have any leisure, they either chatter about idle nonsense or busy themselves with useless work. Ask them…
  227. 181Chapter Six
  228. 182He who knows Me as unborn and without beginning, the great Lord of the worlds, he among mortals is free from delusion and is released from every sin.…
  229. 183The Way: Faith
  230. 184A devotee: Sir, is there then no way out for worldly souls like these?
  231. 185Sri Ramakrishna: Surely there is a way. Now and then keep holy company, and now and then go into solitude and think of God. And you must discriminate.…
  232. 186"Once you have faith, that is enough. There is nothing greater than faith.
  233. 187To Kedar: "You have heard how strong faith is, haven't you? The Purana says that Ramachandra, who was Narayana Himself, the perfect Brahman, had to bu…
  234. 188"Bibhishana wrote the name of Rama on a leaf and knotted it into the corner of a man's cloth. The man was to cross to the far side of the sea. Bibhish…
  235. 189"One who has faith in God, even if he commits the gravest sins, kills a cow, a brahmin or a woman, can still be saved from the heaviest sins by the st…
  236. 190And the Master began to sing:
  237. 191Song: The Gravest Sins, and the Power of the Name
  238. 192If I die, O Mother, with the name of Durga, Durga on my lips, then at the last, O Sankari, we shall see how You can fail to save this lowly one. I may…
  239. 193Narendra, the Homa Bird
  240. 194"You see this boy? Here he is one way. A naughty child sitting by his father is as meek as a mouse, but playing in the chandni he is another creature…
  241. 195"The Vedas tell of the homa bird. It lives high, high up in the sky and lays its egg there. Once laid, the egg starts to drop, and the height is so gr…
  242. 196Narendra got up and left.
  243. 197Kedar, Prankrishna, M. and many others were in the gathering.
  244. 198Sri Ramakrishna: "You see, Narendra is good at everything: singing, playing music, studying. The other day he was arguing with Kedar and cut Kedar's a…
  245. 199M.: Yes, sir. In English there is logic.
  246. 200Sri Ramakrishna: Well, tell me a little of what it is like.
  247. 201Now M. was in a fix. He said, "One kind goes from a general conclusion to a particular one. For example: All men will die; the learned are men; theref…
  248. 202"There is another kind, which goes from particular instances or events to a general conclusion. For example: This crow is black, that one is black, an…
  249. 203"But a conclusion reached this way may be wrong, because perhaps, searching on, a white crow may turn up in another land. Another example: wherever th…
  250. 204"General conclusions of this kind are what English logic deals with."
  251. 205Sri Ramakrishna merely listened. Even as he listened his mind wandered away, and so the subject was taken no further.
  252. 206Chapter Seven
  253. 207When your understanding, now torn by conflicting teachings, stands firm and unmoving, steady in samadhi, then you will attain yoga. Bhagavad Gita 2.53
  254. 208In the Temple of Samadhi
  255. 209The gathering broke up. The devotees were strolling about here and there. M. too was walking about the Panchavati and the other places; it was about f…
  256. 210Sri Ramakrishna was standing motionless. Narendra was singing, and two or three devotees stood by. M. came and listened. The song held him; apart from…
  257. 211Meditate, O my mind, on Hari, the stainless, pure Consciousness. How peerless His light, how enchanting His form, the delight of His devotees' hearts!…
  258. 212As this verse of the song was sung, Sri Ramakrishna began to tremble. Every hair of his body stood erect. Tears of joy flowed from his eyes. Now and t…
  259. 213Again that smile that charms the whole world. The body as still as before; the eyes half shut and unmoving. Yet he seemed to be gazing on some wondrou…
  260. 214Now the song came to its end. Narendra sang: Be drowned forever, O my soul, in the joy of Consciousness, rapt in the yoga of devotion. In the joy of C…
  261. 215Taking this wonderful picture of samadhi and divine love into his heart, M. turned homeward. Now and then the sweet song that had so stirred his heart…
  262. 216Chapter Eight
  263. 217The Fourth Meeting
  264. 218Having gained it, one counts no other gain greater; established in it, one is not shaken even by the heaviest sorrow. Bhagavad Gita 6.22
  265. 219Joy with Narendra, Bhavanath and the Others
  266. 220The next day too was a holiday. At three in the afternoon M. was back again. Sri Ramakrishna was sitting in the same familiar room. On the floor a mat…
  267. 221The moment he saw M. coming into the room, the Master laughed aloud and cried to the boys, "There, he's come again!" Saying it, he laughed. Everyone b…
  268. 222"You see, someone gave a peacock opium at four o'clock one afternoon. The next day, at four o'clock sharp, there was the peacock. The craving for opiu…
  269. 223M. was thinking to himself, "He is quite right. I go home, but day and night my mind is drawn to him: when will I see him, when will I see him? It is…
  270. 224M. watched this wonderful character in amazement. He thought, "Is this the man in whom only the day before I saw samadhi and a joy of love I had never…
  271. 225Sri Ramakrishna was enjoying himself and glancing at M. now and then. Seeing him sitting there dumbfounded, he turned to Ramlal and said, "You see, he…
  272. 226In the course of talk they came to speak of Hanuman, the great devotee. On the wall of the Master's room there was a painted picture of Hanuman. The M…
  273. 227Song: Rama, the Wishing Tree
  274. 228Am I in want of fruit? The fruit I have won has made my birth fruitful: in my heart is Rama, the tree whose fruit is freedom. I sit at the root of Ram…
  275. 229In the Temple of Samadhi
  276. 230The Master was singing this song. And again that samadhi! Again the motionless body, the still eyes, the body fixed. He sat like a picture one sees in…
  277. 231M. began to think, "Is this the great soul who was larking about with the boys? Then he had been just like a boy of five."
  278. 232The Master came back to his normal state and again behaved like an ordinary man. Turning to M. and Narendra he said, "You two talk and argue in Englis…
  279. 233Hearing this, M. and Narendra both laughed. They talked a little together, but in Bengali. Arguing in the Master's presence was no longer possible for…
  280. 234Chapter Nine
  281. 235You are the Imperishable, the Supreme, the One to be known; You are the final refuge of this universe. You are the changeless guardian of the eternal…
  282. 236With His Own: Who Am I?
  283. 237It was five o'clock. The devotees went off to their homes, and only M. and Narendra remained. Narendra took a water pot and went toward the duck pond…
  284. 238They all came back to the Master's room by the path past the kuthi. Near the kuthi the Master said to M., "You see, when farmers go to market to buy c…
  285. 239Dusk fell. The Master was absorbed in thoughts of God. He told M., "Go and have a talk with Narendra, and tell me what kind of boy he is."
  286. 240The arati was over. After a long while M. found Narendra on the west side of the chandni, and they began to talk. Narendra said he belonged to the Sad…
  287. 241Night had come, and it was time for M. to take his leave. But he could not bring himself to go. So he left Narendra and went looking for Sri Ramakrish…
  288. 242Hearing the Master's singing, M. had lost himself, like a snake charmed by a spell. Now, shyly, he asked the Master, "Will there be more singing today…
  289. 243M.: As you wish, sir.
  290. 244Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know him? Balaram Bose?
  291. 245M.: No, sir.
  292. 246Sri Ramakrishna: Balaram Bose. He lives in Bosepara.
  293. 247M.: Very well, sir, I shall ask the way.
  294. 248Sri Ramakrishna, walking up and down the natmandir with M.: Well, I'll ask you one thing. What do you take me to be?
  295. 249M. stayed silent. The Master asked again, "What do you think? How many annas in the rupee of knowledge have I gained?"
  296. 250M.: I don't understand this talk of annas, sir. But such knowledge, such love and devotion, such faith, such dispassion, such largeness of heart I hav…
  297. 251Sri Ramakrishna laughed.
  298. 252After this talk M. bowed and took his leave. He had reached the main gate when something came back to him, and at once he turned back and came again t…
  299. 253In that dim light the Master was walking alone. Alone, without companion, like the king of beasts roaming the forest absorbed in himself. Rejoicing in…
  300. 254Wonderstruck, M. gazed again upon that great soul.
  301. 255Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Why, you've come back?
  302. 256M.: Sir, it is a rich man's house; perhaps they won't let me in. So I think I won't go. I'll come here and see you instead.
  303. 257Sri Ramakrishna: Oh no, why should that be? Just mention my name. Say you want to come to me, and someone will bring you to me.
  304. 258M. said, "As you wish, sir," bowed again and took his leave.
  305. 1Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees
  306. 2Chapter Ten
  307. 3Sri Ramakrishna Dances in the Joy of Love with the Devotees at Balaram's House
  308. 4It is about eight or nine in the evening, the time of the Dolayatra. Devotees such as Ram, Manomohan, Rakhal and Nityagopal are gathered round the Mas…
  309. 5At Dakshineswar the Master had told M., "I shall be going to Balaram's house in Calcutta; you come there." And so M. has come to see him. The date is…
  310. 6Now the devotees are sitting on the verandah taking prasad. Balaram stands by like a servant; to look at him, no one would think he was the master of…
  311. 7M. has only lately begun to come. He has not yet got to know the devotees. He had talked only with Narendra, at Dakshineswar.
  312. 8The Harmony of All Religions
  313. 9A few days later Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in ecstasy on the steps of a Siva temple at Dakshineswar. It is about four or five in the afternoon. M. is…
  314. 10A little earlier the Master had been resting in his room on a bed spread on the floor. As yet no one stays near the Master to serve him; since Hriday…
  315. 11The Master is talking with the World-Mother. He is saying, "Mother, everyone is saying, my watch keeps right time. Christians, Brahmos, Hindus, Muslim…
  316. 12In the Joy of Worship with the Devotees: Love for Rakhal: "The Wine of Love"
  317. 13On another day the Master is sitting on the small cot in his room, the very image of bliss, his face smiling. M. has come with Sri Kalikrishna.
  318. 14Kalikrishna had not known where his friend was taking him. His friend had said, "If you want to go to a tavern, come with me. There is a whole jar of…
  319. 15The Master said, "The joy of worship, the joy of Brahman: this very joy is the wine, the wine of love. The goal of human life is love of God, to love…
  320. 16With these words the Master began to sing:
  321. 17Who knows what Kali is? The six systems cannot catch a glimpse of Her. Kali is the Self of the yogi who rejoices in the Self; the Om is the proof of H…
  322. 18Kalikrishna Bhattacharya later became Senior Professor of Sanskrit, that is, chief professor of Sanskrit language and literature, at Vidyasagar Colleg…
  323. 19Sri Ramakrishna says again: To love God: this is the goal of life, as the cowherd boys and girls of Vrindavan, the herdsmen, loved Sri Krishna. When S…
  324. 20With these words the Master, his eyes lifted upward, sings:
  325. 21I saw a young herdsman holding the branch of a young tree, a young calf in his arms, crying, "Where are you, brother Kanai?" And then, "Ka" is all tha…
  326. 22At the Master's song, steeped in love, tears have come to M.'s eyes.
  327. 1April 1882
  328. 2Chapter One
  329. 3Sri Ramakrishna at Syampukur, in the House of Prankrishna
  330. 4Sri Ramakrishna has come to Calcutta today. He is sitting with the devotees in the parlour on the upper floor of Prankrishna Mukherji's house at Syamp…
  331. 5Gentlemen of the neighbourhood and other invited guests are there as well, all eager to hear what the Master will say.
  332. 6The Master is speaking of God and His splendour. This world is His splendour.
  333. 7"But seeing the splendour, everyone forgets; they do not look for Him whose splendour it is. Everyone goes after the enjoyment of woman and gold, but…
  334. 8A devotee: What is the way, then?
  335. 9The Way: The Company of Holy Men, and Prayer
  336. 10Sri Ramakrishna: The way is the company of holy men, and prayer.
  337. 11"Unless you go to the physician, the illness is not cured. It is not enough to keep holy company for one day; it is needed always, for the illness nev…
  338. 12A devotee: What good does the company of holy men do?
  339. 13Sri Ramakrishna: It gives you love for God; you come to love Him. Nothing happens until you feel restless yearning. Keeping holy company, one's soul c…
  340. 14"There is another way: to pray with longing. He is our very own, and one must say to Him: 'What are You like? Show Yourself to me; You must show Yours…
  341. 15"Holy company does another good: it gives discrimination between the real and the unreal. The real is the eternal substance, God; the unreal is the tr…
  342. 16A neighbour: Sir, why does the sinful mind arise?
  343. 17Sri Ramakrishna: In His world there are all kinds of things. He has made good men and He has made wicked men. It is He who gives the good mind, and He…
  344. 18The Sinner's Responsibility and the Fruit of Action
  345. 19A neighbour: Then we have no responsibility when we sin?
  346. 20Sri Ramakrishna: It is God's law that if you sin you must reap the fruit. If you eat chillies, won't your mouth burn? Sejo Babu did all sorts of thing…
  347. 21A neighbour: Then why did God make wicked men?
  348. 22Sri Ramakrishna: It is His will; it is His lila. His maya holds both vidya and avidya. Darkness too is needed; with darkness, the glory of light shows…
  349. 23"Wicked men too have their use. The tenants of an estate had grown very unruly, so Golak Chaudhuri was sent there. At his very name the tenants began…
  350. 24God Can Be Realized in the World Too: All Will Be Liberated
  351. 25A neighbour: Sir, can one reach God while living in the world?
  352. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Certainly one can. But, as I said, one must keep the company of holy men and pray always. One must weep for Him. When the dirt of the…
  353. 27A neighbour: Then those who live in the world will reach Him too?
  354. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Everyone will be liberated. But one must follow the guru's instructions. Go by a crooked road and the way back will be hard. Liberati…
  355. 29A neighbour: You speak of the guru's instructions. How am I to find a guru?
  356. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Not just anyone can be a guru. A big log floats along by itself, and many animals can ride on it too. But if you climb on a worthless…
  357. 31"What is it that is called knowledge, and who am I? To know that God alone acts and nothing else acts: that is called knowledge. I am not the doer; I…
  358. 32Chapter Two
  359. 33Sri Ramakrishna and Keshab Sen at Kamalkutir
  360. 34Going by way of the Captain's house, Sri Ramakrishna has come to Keshab Sen's house, Kamalkutir. With him are Ram, Manomohan, Surendra, M. and a good…
  361. 35The Master loves Keshab dearly. When Keshab was practising spiritual disciplines with his disciples in the garden at Belgharia, that is, in 1875, soon…
  362. 36"You don't accept the forms of God; that does no harm. It is enough to be devoted to the formless. But take a little of the pull that the believers in…
  363. 37"You give lectures for the good of all; but lectures do good only when a man gives them after realizing God, after seeing God. If he teaches people wi…
  364. 38Keshab's Growing Reverence for the Hindu Religion
  365. 39In this way, in many places, Sri Ramakrishna gave Keshab Chandra Sen many teachings in the course of conversation. After their first meeting in the ga…
  366. 40We met not long ago Paramhamsa of Dakshineswar, and were charmed by the depth, penetration and simplicity of his spirit. The never-ceasing metaphors a…
  367. 41"If the ancient Vedic Aryan is gratefully honoured today for having taught us the deep truth of the Nirakar or the bodiless Spirit, the same loyal hom…
  368. 42As Sri Ramakrishna loved Keshab, so Keshab revered him. Almost every year, at the time of the Brahmo festival and at other times as well, Keshab would…
  369. 43At the Bhadra festival of 1879 Keshab again invited Sri Ramakrishna and took him to the Tapovan at Belgharia, on Monday the fifteenth of September, th…
  370. 44On Wednesday the twenty-ninth of October 1879, the thirteenth of Kartik, 1286, the full moon of the Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, at one in the afternoon, Ke…
  371. 45After the worship the Master said, "Say 'Brahman, Atman, Bhagavan'; 'Brahman, Maya, jiva, world'; 'Bhagavata, Bhakta, Bhagavan.'" In that moonlight on…
  372. 46Some days later, on the thirteenth of November 1879, the twenty-eighth of Kartik, after the Kali Puja, Ram, Manomohan and Gopal Mitra first saw Sri Ra…
  373. 47One summer's day in 1880 Ram and Manomohan went to see Keshab at Kamalkutir. They were very eager to know what Keshab Babu thought of the Master. They…
  374. 48On the first of Jyaishtha, the fourteenth of May 1875, Sri Ramakrishna came again to the garden at Belgharia. The Bharat Asram libel suit ended on the…
  375. 49Some time after this, at the Maghotsava of January 1881, Keshab went to Dakshineswar to see Sri Ramakrishna. Present were Ram, Manomohan, Jaygopal Sen…
  376. 50On Friday the first of Sravan, Saka 1803, the fourth day of the dark fortnight, 1288, the fifteenth of July 1881, Keshab again took Sri Ramakrishna on…
  377. 51In November 1881, when the Master went to Manomohan's house and there was a festival, Keshab too was invited and joined it. Trailokya and others sang.
  378. 52In December 1881 Sri Ramakrishna was invited to the house of Rajendra Mitra, and Keshab went too. The house is in Bechu Chatterji Street in Thanthania…
  379. 53When word was sent to Keshab, he was in mourning for Bhai Aghorenath. The missionary Bhai Aghore had died at Lucknow on Thursday the twenty-fourth of…
  380. 54Manomohan's mother, the deeply devout Syamasundari Devi, served the Master his food. Ram stood by while he ate. On the day Sri Ramakrishna went to Raj…
  381. 55On the day of the festival Mahendra Goswami read from the Bhagavata.
  382. 56At the Maghotsava of January 1882 the festival of the Simulia Brahmo Samaj was held, with worship and kirtan in the hall and courtyard of Jnan Chaudhu…
  383. 57On Thursday the twenty-third of February 1882, the twelfth of Phalgun, Keshab came again with his devotees to see Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar. Wit…
  384. 58Three months later, in April, Sri Ramakrishna came to see Keshab at Kamalkutir. A short account of it is given in this chapter.
  385. 59Sri Ramakrishna's Love for Keshab: The Vow of a Green Coconut and Sugar to the World-Mother
  386. 60Today Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in that parlour at Kamalkutir. It is the second of April, 1882, five in the afternoon. Keshab was i…
  387. 61Sri Ramakrishna is talking a great deal with Pratap and the other Brahmo devotees. Seeing M. sitting near him, he tells Keshab, "Why does he stay away…
  388. 62Pointing to Samadhyayi, the Brahmo devotees say to the Master, "He is a scholar; he has read the Vedas and the other scriptures well." The Master says…
  389. 63Trailokya was singing. As he sang, the evening lamps were lit, and the singing went on. As he listened the Master suddenly stood up and, chanting the…
  390. 64I drink no wine; I drink nectar, crying "Victory to Kali!" It makes my drunken mind drunk, and drunkards call me drunk. Taking the molasses my guru ga…
  391. 65The Master's eyes rested on Keshab, full of tenderness, as though he were his very own, and as though he feared that Keshab might come to belong to so…
  392. 66I am afraid to speak, and afraid to keep silent; a doubt rises in my mind that I may lose you, my treasure, may lose you. We know your mind; we have g…
  393. 67"We know your mind; we have given you the mantra; now it rests with your mind." The meaning is this: give up all and call upon God, for He is the one…
  394. 68He sits down again and talks with the devotees.
  395. 69Arrangements are being made to give him some refreshment. At one side of the hall a Brahmo devotee is playing the piano. Sri Ramakrishna, his face bea…
  396. 70Sri Ramakrishna had his refreshment. Now he got into the carriage. All the Brahmo devotees were standing by it. From Kamalkutir the carriage set out f…
  397. 1August 1882
  398. 2Sri Ramakrishna Meets Sri Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in Calcutta
  399. 3Chapter One
  400. 4Vidyasagar's House
  401. 5It is Saturday, the twenty-first of Sravan, the sixth day of the dark fortnight, the fifth of August, 1882. It will soon be four o'clock in the aftern…
  402. 6Sri Ramakrishna is driving along the main roads of Calcutta in a hired carriage towards Badurbagan, with Bhavanath, Hazra and M. He is on his way to V…
  403. 7The Master's birthplace is the village of Kamarpukur in the Hooghly district, and it lies near Birsingha, the village where Vidyasagar was born. From…
  404. 8The carriage has left the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. It has crossed the bridge, passed through Syambazar and in time come to Amherst Street. The dev…
  405. 9The carriage is passing Rammohan Roy's garden house. M., who has not noticed the change in the Master, says hurriedly, "This is Rammohan Roy's house."…
  406. 10The carriage drew up before Vidyasagar's house. It is a two-storey building in the English taste, standing in the middle of its grounds, with a wall a…
  407. 11What is written in the letters lying under weights on the table? A widow, perhaps, has written: "My little children are orphans, with no one to look a…
  408. 12The Master got down from the carriage, and M. led the way into the house. As they came through the courtyard among the flowering plants, the Master pu…
  409. 13Chapter Two
  410. 14Vidyasagar
  411. 15Going up the stairs, the Master enters with the devotees the very first room, the one directly north of the landing. Vidyasagar is sitting at the nort…
  412. 16When the Master came in, Vidyasagar rose to receive him. The Master stands facing west at the east side of the table, his left hand resting on it and…
  413. 17Vidyasagar is about sixty-two or sixty-three, and so some sixteen or seventeen years the Master's senior. His cloth is plain white, without a border;…
  414. 18Vidyasagar has many virtues. First, his love of learning. One day, while telling M. of it, he actually wept: "I had such a wish to study, but how coul…
  415. 19Vidyasagar's Worship of Sri Ramakrishna, and His Greeting
  416. 20The Master is passing into ecstasy and stands for some time absorbed in it. Now and then, to bring the mood under control, he says, "I'll drink some w…
  417. 21Still in ecstasy, the Master sits down on the bench. A boy of seventeen or eighteen is sitting on it; he has come to ask Vidyasagar for help with his…
  418. 22Is the Master saying that for a man who does not yearn for the knowledge of Brahman, learning acquired only to earn money is no more than a snare?
  419. 23Vidyasagar, all in a bustle, sent someone for water and asked M., "If we bring some refreshments, will he eat them?" "Please do, sir," said M. Vidyasa…
  420. 24After the sweets the Master talks with Vidyasagar, smiling. The room has quickly filled with people, some seated, some standing.
  421. 25Sri Ramakrishna: "Today I have reached the ocean. All this time I have seen canals, marshes, lakes and rivers; now I am seeing the sagar, the ocean it…
  422. 26Vidyasagar, smiling: "Then take a little of the salt water home with you!" There was laughter.
  423. 27Sri Ramakrishna: "No, no! Why salt water? You are not an ocean of ignorance; why, you are the ocean of learning, the Vidyasagar!" Everyone laughed. "Y…
  424. 28Vidyasagar: Well, you may say so.
  425. 29Vidyasagar fell silent, and the Master went on speaking.
  426. 30Vidyasagar's Sattvic Work: "You Too Are a Siddha"
  427. 31"Your work is sattvic work: the rajas of sattva. Compassion comes from sattva. Work done out of compassion is rajasic work, certainly, but this rajas…
  428. 32Vidyasagar: How is that, sir?
  429. 33Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "When potatoes and patals are siddha, boiled, they grow soft. And you are very soft. You have such compassion!" There was la…
  430. 34Vidyasagar, smiling: "But kalai pulse ground and boiled only gets harder!" Everyone laughed.
  431. 35Sri Ramakrishna: You are not like that. Mere pandits are like food that has cooked unevenly and gone hard: neither one thing nor the other. The vultur…
  432. 36Vidyasagar listens in silence. Everyone is gazing at this blissful man and drinking in the nectar of his words.
  433. 37Chapter Three
  434. 38Sri Ramakrishna: Jnanayoga, or Vedantic Reasoning
  435. 39Vidyasagar is a great scholar. When he studied at the Sanskrit College he was the best student of his class. He stood first in every examination and w…
  436. 40Vidyasagar taught no one about religion. He had read the books of philosophy. M. once asked him, "How do you like the Hindu philosophies?" He had said…
  437. 41Another day M. heard from his own lips what he thought about God. Vidyasagar had said: "There is no way of knowing Him! What, then, is our duty? In my…
  438. 42Talking of knowledge and ignorance, the Master comes to speak of the knowledge of Brahman. Vidyasagar is a great scholar. He has studied the six syste…
  439. 43Sri Ramakrishna: Brahman is beyond both knowledge and ignorance. He is beyond maya.
  440. 44Problem of Evil: Brahman Is Unattached; Suffering Belongs to the Jiva
  441. 45"In this world there is vidyamaya, and there is avidyamaya too. There is knowledge and devotion, and there is also woman and gold; there is the real a…
  442. 46"Before a lamp one man may be reading the Bhagavata and another forging a document. The lamp is unattached.
  443. 47"The sun sheds its light on the righteous and on the wicked alike.
  444. 48"You may ask, then what of suffering, sin and unrest? The answer is that these are for the jiva. Brahman remains untouched. A snake has poison in it;…
  445. 49Brahman Beyond Speech, Not to Be Described The Unknown and Unknowable
  446. 50"What Brahman is cannot be told in words. Everything has been defiled, like food left on a plate. Vedas, Puranas, Tantras, the six darsanas: every one…
  447. 51Vidyasagar, to his friends: Ah! That is a fine saying! I have learnt something new today.
  448. 52Sri Ramakrishna: A father had two sons. He put them both under a teacher to learn the knowledge of Brahman. After some years they came back from their…
  449. 53"Men think they have come to know Him. An ant once came upon a hill of sugar. A single grain was enough to fill it, and it set off for its nest with a…
  450. 54"However great a man may be, how can he know Him? Sukadeva and the like may be big black ants, let us say, carrying eight or ten grains of the sugar i…
  451. 55Brahman Is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss: Nirvikalpa Samadhi and the Knowledge of Brahman
  452. 56"Then do you know how the Vedas and Puranas speak of it? When a man has seen the ocean and someone asks him what it was like, he gapes and says, 'Oh!…
  453. 57"When one is in samadhi, the knowledge of Brahman comes; Brahman is seen. In that state reasoning stops altogether and a man becomes silent. He has no…
  454. 58"A doll made of salt once set out to measure the ocean." Everyone laughed. "It meant to come back and tell how deep the water was. But the telling nev…
  455. 59Someone asked, "Does a man in samadhi, one who has attained the knowledge of Brahman, never speak again?"
  456. 60Sri Ramakrishna, to Vidyasagar and the others: Sankaracharya kept the "I of knowledge" in order to teach men. When a man sees Brahman he becomes silen…
  457. 61"So long as the bee has not settled on the flower it buzzes about. Once it settles and begins to drink the honey, it is quiet. And sometimes, drunk wi…
  458. 62"When you fill a pitcher at the pond it gurgles. When it is full there is no more sound." Everyone laughed. "But pour from one pitcher into another, a…
  459. 63Chapter Four
  460. 64Jnana and Vijnana; Advaita, Visishtadvaita and Dvaita, the Three Harmonised: Reconciliation of Non-Dualism, Qualified Non-Dualism and Dualism
  461. 65Sri Ramakrishna: The rishis attained the knowledge of Brahman. It cannot be attained while the least trace of worldliness remains. How hard the rishis…
  462. 66"In the Kaliyuga life depends on food, and the feeling that one is the body does not go. In this state it is not good to say 'I am He.' A man does eve…
  463. 67"The jnani gives up worldliness by saying 'Not this, not this,' and only then can he know Brahman. So one reaches the roof, leaving the steps of the s…
  464. 68"A man cannot stay long on the roof; he comes down again. Those who have seen Brahman in samadhi come down too, and find that the universe and all bei…
  465. 69"The path of the jnani is a path. The path of knowledge and devotion together is a path. And the path of devotion is a path too. Jnanayoga is true and…
  466. 70"To the vijnani Brahman is unmoving and inactive, like Mount Sumeru. This world has come out of His three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas, but He Himse…
  467. 71"The vijnani sees: the One who is Brahman is Bhagavan too; He who is beyond the gunas is the Lord full of the six powers. This universe, mind and inte…
  468. 72One as the All-Pervading, but Differing in Power
  469. 73"Just look how wonderful this world is! How many kinds of things there are: sun, moon and stars. And how many kinds of creatures: great and small, goo…
  470. 74Vidyasagar: Has He given some more power and others less?
  471. 75Sri Ramakrishna: "As the all-pervading One He is in every being, down to the ant. But there are differences in the manifestation of His power. Otherwi…
  472. 76Mere Scholarship, Book-Learning, Is Hollow; Devotion Alone Is the Substance
  473. 77Sri Ramakrishna: There is nothing in mere scholarship. Books are read only to learn the way to reach Him and to know Him. A holy man had a book, and s…
  474. 78"What is the meaning of the Gita? What you get by saying it ten times. Say 'Gita, Gita' ten times over and it becomes 'tyagi, tyagi': one who has reno…
  475. 79"When Chaitanyadeva was on pilgrimage in the south, he came upon someone reciting the Gita, while another sat at a little distance listening and weepi…
  476. 80Chapter Five
  477. 81The Secret of Bhaktiyoga: The Secret of Dualism
  478. 82Sri Ramakrishna: "Why does the vijnani keep to devotion? The answer is that the 'I' does not go. In samadhi it goes, certainly, but it comes back agai…
  479. 83"Even after one has attained knowledge, the 'I' turns up again from somewhere! You saw a tiger in a dream; then you woke up, and still your heart goes…
  480. 84"Even then there is no release. In the end its guts are twisted into gut-string, and that string is fitted to the cotton-carder's bow. Now it says 'I'…
  481. 85"Rama asked, 'Hanuman, in what light do you see Me?' Hanuman said: 'Rama, while the sense of "I" is in me, You are the whole to me and I a part, You t…
  482. 86"The attitude of servant and served is best. The 'I' will not go. Then let the rascal stay as the 'servant I.'"
  483. 87Teaching to Vidyasagar: "I" and "Mine" Are Ignorance
  484. 88"'I' and 'mine' are the two forms of ignorance. To feel 'This house is mine, this money, this learning, all this wealth is mine' comes of ignorance. T…
  485. 89"One should always keep death in mind. After death nothing will remain. We have come here to do some work, as a man whose home is in the country comes…
  486. 90"God laughs on two occasions. He laughs once when a physician says to a sick man's mother, 'Mother, why be afraid? I shall cure your son.' His thought…
  487. 91The Way: Faith and Devotion
  488. 92"Is He to be known through reasoning? Become His servant, surrender to Him, and call upon Him."
  489. 93To Vidyasagar, smiling: "Well, what is your attitude?"
  490. 94Vidyasagar was smiling gently. "Well," he said, "I shall tell you that one day when we are alone." Everyone laughed.
  491. 95Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Reasoning and scholarship will never bring you to know Him.
  492. 96So saying, the Master, mad with divine love, began to sing:
  493. 97God Unreachable and Boundless
  494. 98Who knows what Kali is? The six darsanas cannot see Her. In muladhara and sahasrara the yogi ever contemplates Her. In the lotus wood with the swan Sh…
  495. 99"Did you hear? 'The universe is a pot in the Mother's womb; can you tell how vast it is?' And it says, 'The six darsanas cannot see Her.' She is not t…
  496. 100The Power of Faith: Faith in God and the Deadliest Sin
  497. 101"What is needed is faith and devotion. Hear how strong faith is. A man was going to cross the sea from Lanka. Vibhishana told him, 'Knot this into the…
  498. 102"They say Hanuman had such faith in Rama's name that by its virtue he leapt across the sea. But Rama Himself had to bridge the sea!
  499. 103"Where there is faith in Him, there is nothing at all to fear, though a man sin, though he commit the deadliest sin."
  500. 104So saying, the Master took on the mood of a devotee and, intoxicated with it, sang of the glory of faith:
  501. 105If I die, Mother, with "Durga, Durga" on my lips, How then in the end, O Sankari, can You not save this wretch? We shall see.
  502. 106Chapter Six
  503. 107Love of God, the Purpose of Life: The End of life
  504. 108Sri Ramakrishna: Faith and devotion. Through devotion He is easily reached. He is to be grasped by feeling.
  505. 109As he said this, the Master began another song:
  506. 110O mind, why do you search for Her, like a madman in a dark room? She is grasped by feeling; without feeling, can anyone hold Her? First bring the moon…
  507. 111The Master in the Shrine of Samadhi
  508. 112In the midst of the song the Master has entered samadhi! Palms joined, body upright and motionless, his eyes unmoving. He sits on the bench facing wes…
  509. 113The Master came back to the normal state. With a deep sigh he began to speak again, smiling: "Bhava and bhakti mean loving Him. The very One who is Br…
  510. 114"'Prasad says: She whom I seek as my Mother, Must I break the pot in the market place? Mind, can you not take a hint?'
  511. 115"Ramprasad tells his mind to understand by hints. What he is telling it to understand is this: the One whom the Vedas call Brahman is the very One I a…
  512. 116"Brahman and Sakti are not different. Take fire and its burning power: speak of fire and the burning power is understood; speak of the burning power a…
  513. 117"It is He who is called 'Mother.' For 'Mother' is a name full of love. If you can love God, you reach Him. Feeling, devotion, love and faith. Listen t…
  514. 118The Way: First Faith, Then Devotion
  515. 119"Contemplate, and feeling dawns. As your feeling is, so is your gain; faith is the root of it. If the heart stays in the nectar lake of Kali's feet, i…
  516. 120"The heart sinking into Him, loving Him dearly. 'Nectar lake' means the lake of immortality. Whoever sinks into it does not die; he becomes immortal.…
  517. 121Desireless Work, or Karmayoga, and the Good of the World Sri Ramakrishna and the European ideal of work
  518. 122"Worship, oblation, sacrifice are nothing. If love of Him comes, there is no great need of all these rites. You need a fan only so long as there is no…
  519. 123"The works you are doing are all good works. If you can do them without desire, giving up the egotism of 'I am the doer,' that is very good. Doing suc…
  520. 124"But the more devotion and love for Him you have, the less your work will become. When a young wife of the house is carrying a child, the mother-in-la…
  521. 125The Aim of Work without Desire: the Vision of God
  522. 126"There is gold within you, but you have not yet learnt of it. It lies covered by a little earth. Once you find it, your other work will fall away. Whe…
  523. 127"Go forward. A brahmachari once told a woodcutter on his way to fell trees, 'Keep going on.' He went on and came upon sandalwood trees. Some days late…
  524. 128"If you can work without desire, love of God comes, and in time, by His grace, you reach Him. God can be seen; one can talk with Him, as I am talking…
  525. 129Chapter Seven
  526. 130The Master, an Ocean of Grace without Cause
  527. 131Everyone listens to these words in silent wonder. It is as if the goddess of speech herself had come down upon Sri Ramakrishna's tongue and were speak…
  528. 132Sri Ramakrishna, to Vidyasagar, smiling: "What I have been saying, you know it all already, needless to say; only, you are not aware of it." Everyone…
  529. 133Vidyasagar, smiling: You may say so.
  530. 134Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Yes, indeed. Many a babu does not know his own servants' names." Everyone laughed. "Nor does he know where the valuable thi…
  531. 135Everyone is delighted with the conversation. They are all quiet for a while. Then the Master speaks to Vidyasagar again.
  532. 136Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Come and see the garden one day, Rasmani's garden. It is a most beautiful place.
  533. 137Vidyasagar: Of course I shall come. You have come to me, and shall I not come to you?
  534. 138Sri Ramakrishna: To me? Oh no, no!
  535. 139Vidyasagar: Why, what is this? Why do you say such a thing? Please explain it to me.
  536. 140Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "We are little fishing boats." Everyone laughed. "We can go into canals and marshes, and into a big river too. But you are a…
  537. 141Vidyasagar sits silent, his face smiling. The Master laughs.
  538. 142Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: But then, at this season even a ship can get through.
  539. 143Vidyasagar, smiling: "Yes, this is the rainy season!" Everyone laughed.
  540. 144M., to himself: The rains of a new love! True, in the first flush of love one has no sense of honour or slight!
  541. 145The Master rose with the devotees. Vidyasagar stands with his relatives; he will see the Master to his carriage.
  542. 146Why is Sri Ramakrishna still standing there? He is repeating the root mantra, and as he repeats it he has passed into ecstasy. An ocean of grace that…
  543. 147The Master is going down the stairs with the devotees, holding a devotee's hand. Vidyasagar walks in front with his people, a lamp in his hand, lighti…
  544. 148As soon as Sri Ramakrishna and the devotees reached the gate, they all stopped at a lovely sight. Before them stood a man in Bengali dress, fair-compl…
  545. 149Balaram, smiling: I came a long while ago, sir. I have been standing here.
  546. 150Sri Ramakrishna: Why didn't you come in?
  547. 151Balaram: Well, sir, everyone was listening to you. Why go in and disturb them?
  548. 152And Balaram laughed as he said it.
  549. 153The Master is getting into the carriage with the devotees.
  550. 154Vidyasagar, softly to M.: Shall I pay the fare?
  551. 155M.: No, sir, that has been seen to.
  552. 156Vidyasagar and all the others bowed down to the Master.
  553. 157The carriage drove off northwards, back to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. Everyone is still standing, looking after it. Perhaps they are wondering:…
  554. 1Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar with Narendra and His Other Intimate Disciples, and Other Devotees
  555. 2Chapter Eight
  556. 3Kedar's Festival at Dakshineswar
  557. 4In the temple garden at Dakshineswar Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Kedar and other devotees. It is Sunday, the day of the new moon, the twenty-ninth…
  558. 5Sri Kedar Chatterji's home is at Halisahar. He worked as an accountant for the government, and for a long time he was in Dacca; in those days Sri Vija…
  559. 6On the south verandah of his own room the Master sits among the devotees; Ram, Manomohan, Surendra, Rakhal, Bhavanath and M. are among the many who ha…
  560. 7The Nature of Samadhi, and the Harmony of All Religions: Hindu, Muslim and Christian
  561. 8As he talks the Master is explaining samadhi. "When a man attains Satchidananda," he says, "samadhi comes, and then work drops away of itself. I am re…
  562. 9"If someone reasons after he has attained, it is like the bee giving a faint, half-formed hum as it drinks the honey."
  563. 10The ustad had sung very well, and the Master is pleased. He says to him, "A man who has one great gift, such as music, has God's power in him in a spe…
  564. 11The ustad: Sir, by what means can one reach Him?
  565. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Devotion is the essence. God is in all beings, of course; then whom do I call a devotee? One whose mind dwells always in God. And the…
  566. 13To Kedar and the other devotees: "He can be reached by every path. All religions are true. What matters is getting up on to the roof. You may climb up…
  567. 14"You may say that their religion has many mistakes and superstitions. I say, what if there are? Every religion has its errors. Everyone thinks his own…
  568. 15"Then again, devotees call on Him by different names, but it is one Person they are calling. A pond has four ghats. At one the Hindus drink the water…
  569. 16"God is one; His names are many."
  570. 1Chapter Nine
  571. 2Woman and Gold, the One Obstacle to Yoga: Spiritual Practice and the Nature of Yoga
  572. 3Sri Ramakrishna is at the temple garden of Dakshineswar with the devotees. It is Thursday, the ninth of Bhadra, 1289, the bright tenth of Sravan, the…
  573. 4These days Hazra, Ramlal, Rakhal and others are living with the Master. Sri Ramlal is the Master's nephew and serves as priest at the Kali temple. Whe…
  574. 5The Master's face is bright with a smile. He says to M.: "Ishwar Vidyasagar needs to be seen once or twice more. The painter of the backdrop first ske…
  575. 6The Master stands talking with M., and now and then walks up and down the verandah.
  576. 7Sadhana: to Get Through the Storms of Woman and Gold
  577. 8Sri Ramakrishna: To know what lies within, one needs a little practice.
  578. 9M.: Does one have to keep up the practice always?
  579. 10Sri Ramakrishna: No. At first one has to put some real effort into it; after that there is no need for much labour. While the boat has to pass waves a…
  580. 11Sri Ramakrishna and the Nature of Yoga: Falling from Yoga; the State of Yoga, "Like a Lamp in a Windless Place"; the Obstacle to Yoga
  581. 12"In some people one sees the marks of a yogi. But they too ought to be careful. Woman and gold are the one obstacle to yoga. A man falls from yoga and…
  582. 13M.: No, sir, I have never seen one.
  583. 14Sri Ramakrishna: They have it in our part of the country. A bamboo is kept bent down, with a line tied to it carrying a hook, and the hook is baited.…
  584. 15"Take a pair of scales. When there is weight on one side, the lower needle does not line up with the upper one. The mind is the lower needle, God the…
  585. 16"There is no yoga unless the mind is steady. The wind of the world keeps the lamp of the mind always flickering. If that lamp does not stir at all, th…
  586. 17"Woman and gold are the obstacle to yoga. One should discriminate what is real. What is there in a woman's body? Blood, flesh, fat, entrails, worms, u…
  587. 18"I used to put on a rajasic mood, in order to renounce it. I once had a wish to wear a suit of real gold brocade, wear a ring and smoke a hookah throu…
  588. 19It is almost evening. On the south-east verandah, near the door of his room, the Master is talking with Mani in private.
  589. 20Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: A yogi's mind is always on God, always resting in the Self. You can tell it at a glance from his eyes, open and vacant, like…
  590. 21Mani: Yes, sir. I shall try and see if I can find one anywhere.
  591. 22Chapter Ten
  592. 23Conversation of Guru and Disciple: Secret Words
  593. 24Evening has come. The temple servant has lit the lamps in the shrine of Kali, in the temple of Radhakanta and in the other rooms. The Master sits on h…
  594. 25Some time after the arati, Sri Ramakrishna, sitting on his small cot, talks with Mani alone on many subjects. Mani is seated on the floor.
  595. 26"To Work Alone You Have a Right, Never to Its Fruits"
  596. 27Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Do your work without desire. The work Ishwar Vidyasagar does is good work; he tries to work without desire.
  597. 28Mani: Yes, sir. But can God be reached where there is work? Can Rama and kama, desire, go together? I read a Hindi saying the other day:
  598. 29"Where Rama is, there is no kama; where kama is, there is no Rama."
  599. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Everyone works. Chanting His name and glories is work; for those who say Soham, the thought "I am He" is work too; even breathing is…
  600. 31Mani: Sir, may I try to earn more money?
  601. 32Sri Ramakrishna: For a household of vidya, one may. Try to earn more, but by honest means. Earning is not the aim; the aim is to serve God. If money s…
  602. 33Mani: Sir, how long does one's duty to one's family last?
  603. 34Sri Ramakrishna: They should not want for food and clothing. But once the children can fend for themselves there is no need to bear their burden any l…
  604. 35Mani: How long must one go on working?
  605. 36Sri Ramakrishna: When the fruit comes, the flower no longer remains. When God is attained, one no longer has to work; nor does the mind take to it.
  606. 37"A drunkard who has drunk too much cannot keep his senses; if he takes a couple of annas' worth he can go about his business. The further you advance…
  607. 38"When the few duties one has are finished, one is free from care. When the mistress of the house has done the cooking and the rest of the housework an…
  608. 39What Is the Attainment of God, and the Vision of God? What Is the Way?
  609. 40Mani: Sir, what does it mean to attain God? And what is meant by the vision of God? And how does one come to it?
  610. 41Sri Ramakrishna: The Vaishnavas say there are grades among those who are travelling the path to God and those who have reached Him: pravartakas, sadha…
  611. 42"There is one more grade, called the siddha of siddhas. If one comes to know the master intimately, that is another kind of state: I mean, if one ente…
  612. 43"But to reach Him one must take up some one attitude: santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya or madhura.
  613. 44"Santa, the peaceful attitude, was the rishis'. They had no desire to enjoy anything else. It is like a wife's single-minded devotion to her husband:…
  614. 45"Dasya, the attitude of the servant, was Hanuman's. When he worked for Rama he was like a lion. A wife has the servant's attitude too: she gives her w…
  615. 46"Sakhya is the attitude of a friend: 'Come, come and sit by me.' Sridama and the other cowherd boys sometimes fed Krishna fruit they had already bitte…
  616. 47"Vatsalya, the attitude of a mother to her child, was Yasoda's. A wife has something of it too: she feeds her husband as though she would give him her…
  617. 48"Madhura, the attitude of a lover, was Srimati's, Radha's. A wife has it too. This attitude contains all the others: santa, dasya, sakhya and vatsalya…
  618. 49Mani: Is God seen with these eyes?
  619. 50Sri Ramakrishna: He cannot be seen with the eyes of flesh. Through spiritual practice one comes to have a body made of love, with eyes of love and ear…
  620. 51At these words Mani burst out laughing. The Master, not at all annoyed, went on.
  621. 52Sri Ramakrishna: In this body of love the soul has communion with the Self.
  622. 53Mani became grave again.
  623. 54Sri Ramakrishna: It will not do unless one has great love for God. Only when love is intense does one see God everywhere, all around. Only when a man'…
  624. 55"Then again comes the feeling 'He Himself is I.' When a drunkard is very drunk he says, 'I myself am Kali.'
  625. 56"Mad with love, the gopis began to say, 'I myself am Krishna.'
  626. 57"If you think of Him day and night, you will see Him everywhere. It is like this: if you gaze steadily at the flame of a lamp, after a while you see f…
  627. 58Is the Vision of God an Illusion of the Brain? "The Doubting Soul Perishes"
  628. 59Mani is thinking, "But that flame is not a real flame."
  629. 60The Master, who reads the heart, says: Thinking of Consciousness, one does not lose consciousness. Sivanath once said that if you think of God a hundr…
  630. 61Mani: Yes, sir, I understand. This is not thinking about some passing thing, is it? How can a man lose his senses by fixing his mind on Him who is ete…
  631. 62Sri Ramakrishna, pleased: That is His grace. Without His grace doubts are not dispelled.
  632. 63"Doubts do not go until one has realised the Self.
  633. 64"Once His grace is there, there is nothing to fear. A child holding his father's hand may still fall, may he not? But if the father holds the child's…
  634. 65Mani is wondering why He makes one run about. At once the Master says: "It is His wish that there should be some running about; then there is fun. He…
  635. 66The Primal Power, Mahamaya, and the Worship of Sakti
  636. 67Sri Ramakrishna: To have His grace one must please Her who is the Primal Power. She is Mahamaya. Deluding the world, She creates, preserves and destro…
  637. 68"Sakti is the root and support of the universe. In that Primal Power there are both vidya and avidya, knowledge and ignorance. Avidya deludes. Avidya…
  638. 69You are Svaha, You are Svadha, You are Vashat, the soul of the sacred sounds. You are the nectar, abiding in the imperishable, eternal Syllable as its…
  639. 70"It is that avidya that has to be propitiated. Hence the rites for the worship of Sakti.
  640. 71"To please Her there are various attitudes of worship: as Her handmaid, as a hero, as a child. The hero's attitude means pleasing Her through sexual u…
  641. 72"The disciplines of Sakti worship were all very hard ones. They were no trifling matter.
  642. 73"For two years I lived in the attitude of the Mother's handmaid, of Her companion. But my own attitude is that of a child: I look on a woman's breasts…
  643. 74"Women are, each one, a form of Sakti. Up-country, at a wedding, the bridegroom holds a knife in his hand; in Bengal, a nut-cutter. It signifies that…
  644. 75"The bride is a form of Sakti. Haven't you seen at a wedding how the bridegroom sits behind like a booby? But the bride is quite fearless.
  645. 76After the Vision of God His Splendour Is Forgotten; Many Kinds of Knowledge, the Lower Knowledge: Religion and Science; Sattvic and Rajasic Knowledge
  646. 77Sri Ramakrishna: When a man has attained God, he forgets His outer splendour, the splendour of His world; seeing Him, he no longer remembers His splen…
  647. 1October 1882
  648. 2Chapter One
  649. 3Recollections: Sri Ramakrishna Tells of His First Divine Madness, 1858 Krishnakishore, the Holy Man at Ariadaha, Haladhari, Jatindra, Jaya Mukherji, R…
  650. 4The Master is in great joy today. Narendra has come to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. A few others of the inner circle are here too. On arriving at…
  651. 5Today is the thirty-first of Aswin, the bright fourth; Monday, the sixteenth of October, 1882. The worship of Durga falls on the coming Thursday, the…
  652. 6With Sri Ramakrishna are Rakhal, Ramlal and Hazra. One or two young Brahmo friends have come with Narendra. M. too has come today.
  653. 7Narendra took his meal right beside the Master. Afterwards Sri Ramakrishna had a bed spread on the floor of his room so that the devotees, and Narendr…
  654. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra and the rest: After I came into this state I yearned only to hear talk of God. I went searching wherever the Bhagavata wa…
  655. 9"What faith Krishnakishore had! He went to Vrindavan, and there one day he was thirsty. He went to a well and found a man standing there. When he aske…
  656. 10"A holy man had come to the bathing ghat at Ariadaha, and we thought we would go and see him one day. I told Haladhari at the Kali temple that Krishna…
  657. 11"He asked me once, 'Why have you thrown off your sacred thread?' When this state came upon me, something like the storm that comes in Aswin swept over…
  658. 12"And so it happened! He went mad himself. Then he would only say 'Om, Om' and sit silent, shut up alone in a room. Everyone said his brain had overhea…
  659. 13"One day I went and found him sitting deep in thought. 'What is the matter?' I asked. He said: 'The tax collector came, and I am worrying over that. H…
  660. 14"In that state of divine madness I used to tell people the plain truth, straight out! I respected no one. A rich man did not frighten me.
  661. 15"Jatindra had come to Jadu Mallick's garden house. I was there too. I said to him: What is our duty? Is it not our duty to think of God? Jatindra said…
  662. 16"Long afterwards I went with the Captain to Sourindra Tagore's house. When I saw him I said, 'I shall not address you as Raja or the like, because tha…
  663. 17"In that state of madness, another day, at the bathing ghat at Baranagore, I saw Jaya Mukherji repeating his japa but with his mind elsewhere! Then I…
  664. 18"One day Rasmani came to the temple and into the Kali shrine. She would come during the worship and have me sing one or two songs. I was singing when…
  665. 19"I said to Haladhari: Brother, what a nature has come upon me! What am I to do? Then, by calling and calling on the Mother, that habit went."
  666. 20The Pilgrimage with Mathur, 1868: the Master Weeps at Hearing Worldly Talk in Kasi
  667. 21"In that state I could enjoy nothing but talk about God. If I heard people talking of worldly things I would sit and weep. When Mathur Babu took me wi…
  668. 22The Master told the devotees, and Narendra in particular, to rest a little, and himself went to lie down for a while on his small cot.
  669. 23Chapter Two
  670. 24In the Joy of Kirtan with Narendra and Others: the Master Embraces Narendra in Love
  671. 25It is afternoon. Narendra is singing. Rakhal and Latu are there, and M., and Priya, a Brahmo friend of Narendra's, and Hazra.
  672. 26Narendra sang a kirtan, and the drum began to play:
  673. 27Meditate, O my mind, on Hari, the Stainless, dense with Consciousness. How matchless His light! How His form enchants! How dear He is to His devotees'…
  674. 28Narendra sang again:
  675. 29(1) The True, the Auspicious, the Beautiful shines in the temple of the heart. Gazing and gazing on it day by day, we shall drown in that sea of beaut…
  676. 30(2) With joyful face speak the sweet name of Brahman. In the Name the ocean of nectar will surge; drink of it without ceasing. (Drink it and give it a…
  677. 31The kirtan goes on with drum and cymbals. Narendra and the other devotees are singing and moving round the Master. Now they sing, "Be lost for ever in…
  678. 32At last Narendra himself has taken the drum and, carried away, is singing with the Master, "With joyful face speak the sweet name of Hari."
  679. 33When the kirtan was over the Master held Narendra in his arms a long while, embracing him again and again! "What joy you have given me today!" he said…
  680. 34Today the spring of love in the Master's heart has welled up and overflowed. It is nearly eight o'clock at night, yet, mad with love, he walks alone o…
  681. 35Is he saying that maya can do nothing to one whom the Mother protects?
  682. 36Narendra, M. and Priya are to stay the night. Narendra will stay, and the Master's joy knows no bounds. Supper is ready. The Holy Mother, who is stayi…
  683. 37The meal is ready, and places are being laid on the south-east verandah of the Master's room.
  684. 38Narendra and the Others Are Forbidden to Talk of School and Other Worldly Matters
  685. 39Near the east door of the room Narendra and the others are chatting.
  686. 40Narendra: What do you think of the young men nowadays?
  687. 41M.: They are not bad, but they get no religious instruction.
  688. 42Narendra: From what I have seen myself, I think they are all going to the dogs. Smoking bird's-eye, larking about, foppery, playing truant from school…
  689. 43M.: When I was at school we never saw or heard of such things.
  690. 44Narendra: Perhaps you did not mix with them much. I have seen bad characters call them by name; who knows when they got to know each other!
  691. 45M.: How extraordinary!
  692. 46Narendra: I know that many of them have gone bad. It would be well if the school authorities and the boys' guardians looked into these things.
  693. 47Talk of God Is the Only Talk Worth Having: "Know the Self Alone, and Give Up All Other Talk"
  694. 48While this talk was going on, Sri Ramakrishna came out of his room to them and said with a laugh, "Well, what are you talking about?" Narendra said, "…
  695. 49M. was abashed, and Narendra and the other devotees fell silent.
  696. 50Standing, Sri Ramakrishna serves the meal to Narendra and the others, laughing as he does it. The Master is in great joy today.
  697. 51After their meal Narendra and the other devotees sit resting on the floor of the Master's room, chatting with him. It is a fair of joy. As they talk,…
  698. 52Narendra began to sing, and at once the other devotees took up the drum and cymbals:
  699. 53In the sky of Consciousness the full moon of love has risen. The ocean of love has swelled; ah, what bliss! (Victory to the Compassionate! Victory to…
  700. 54The Master dances as he sings the kirtan, and the devotees dance round him.
  701. 55When the kirtan was over the Master paced the north-east verandah. Hazra was sitting at the north end of it. The Master went and sat down there. M. ha…
  702. 56Devotee: I had a wonderful dream. This whole world was water, water everywhere, a boundless expanse of it! A few boats were afloat, and suddenly a gre…
  703. 57Sri Ramakrishna: Hearing this, I feel my hair standing on end!
  704. 58Devotee: The brahmin answered, "I am in a hurry now, and you will be a while getting down! I must go now. Mark this path well, and come after."
  705. 59Sri Ramakrishna: My hair is standing on end! Take your initiation soon.
  706. 60It is eleven o'clock at night. Narendra and the other devotees spread their bedding on the floor of the Master's room and lay down to sleep.
  707. 1When they woke, some of the devotees saw that day had broken: Tuesday, the first of Kartik, the bright fifth, the seventeenth of October, 1882. Sri Ra…
  708. 2Meanwhile the morning worship is going on in the temples of Kali and Radhakanta, with the sound of conches and bells. The devotees get up and see that…
  709. 3Narendra and the other devotees, their morning duties done, came and presented themselves before the Master. He stood smiling at the west end of the n…
  710. 4Narendra: I saw some Nanakpanthi holy men sitting in the Panchavati.
  711. 5Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, they came yesterday!" To Narendra: "All of you sit together on the mat; I want to look at you."
  712. 6When the devotees had all sat down on the mat, the Master looked at them with joy and chatted with them. Narendra raised the subject of spiritual prac…
  713. 7Narendra and the Others Forbidden Spiritual Practice with Women: the Attitude of a Child Is Very Pure
  714. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra and the others: Devotion is the essence. If you love Him, discrimination and dispassion come of themselves.
  715. 9Narendra: Tell me, is there spiritual practice with women in the Tantras?
  716. 10Sri Ramakrishna: Those are not good paths. They are very difficult, and falls are frequent. There is practice as a hero, practice as a handmaid, and p…
  717. 11The Nanakpanthi holy men saluted the Master, saying, "Namo Narayanaya." The Master asked them to be seated.
  718. 12With God All Things Are Possible (Miracles)
  719. 13The Master is saying: Nothing is impossible for God. No one can say in words what He is. Everything is possible. There were once two yogis practising…
  720. 14It is nearly nine. The Master is in his room. Manomohan has come from Konnagar with his family. He bowed to the Master and said, "I am taking them to…
  721. 15Narendra Taught to Be Absorbed in Meditation
  722. 16Narendra and his friends came from their bath. The Master said eagerly to Narendra, "Go and meditate under the banyan. Shall I give you a seat?"
  723. 17Under the Panchavati Narendra and a few Brahmo friends of his are sitting in meditation. It is nearly half past ten. A little later Sri Ramakrishna co…
  724. 18Sri Ramakrishna, to the Brahmo devotees: In meditation you must sink deep into Him. Can you find the gems under the water if you only float on the sur…
  725. 19So saying, the Master began to sing in a sweet voice:
  726. 20Dive deep, O mind, saying "Kali!", into the fathomless waters of the ocean of the heart. The sea is never bare of gems, though two or four dives find…
  727. 21The Brahmo Samaj, Lecturing and Reform of Society (Social Reforms): God Is to Be Attained First, and Men Taught After
  728. 22Narendra and his friends came down from the platform of the Panchavati and stood by the Master. Facing south, the Master came towards his room with th…
  729. 23The Master is saying: "If you dive, the crocodiles may seize you; but crocodiles will not touch a man smeared with turmeric. In 'the fathomless waters…
  730. 24"What is the use of scholarship or lectures if discrimination and dispassion do not come? God is true, and everything else is passing; He is the Real,…
  731. 25"Set Him up first in the shrine of your heart. After that, if you wish, you may make speeches and give lectures. What good is it merely to say 'Brahma…
  732. 26"In a certain village there was a young fellow called Padmalochan, and people would call him "Podo, Podo." In the village there was a ruined temple wi…
  733. 27"One evening, shortly after dark, a conch was heard in the village. A conch was blowing from the direction of the temple, 'bhon, bhon!' The villagers…
  734. 28"There is no Madhava in your temple! Podo, you have made a din, blowing the conch! And eleven bats keep their quarters there day and night—
  735. 29"If you want to install Madhava in the temple of your heart, if you want to attain God, what good is it simply to blow the conch, 'bhon, bhon'? First…
  736. 30"First dive deep. Dive and bring up the gems; other work comes after.
  737. 31"Nobody wants to dive. No spiritual practice, no worship, no discrimination or dispassion; they pick up two or four words and off they go lecturing!
  738. 32"It is hard to teach men. ... If after seeing God one receives His command, then one can teach."
  739. 33The Wife Who Belongs to Avidya: When There Is Heartfelt Devotion, All Are Won Over
  740. 34Talking as he went, the Master came and stood at the west end of the north verandah, with Mani standing beside him. Again and again the Master said, "…
  741. 35Mani, to Sri Ramakrishna: What if my wife says, "You neglect me; I shall kill myself"? What then?
  742. 36Sri Ramakrishna, gravely: Give up a wife like that, who puts obstacles on the path to God. Let her kill herself, or do what she likes.
  743. 37"She who puts obstacles on the path to God is the wife who belongs to avidya."
  744. 38Sunk in thought, Mani stood apart with his back against the wall. Narendra and the rest of the devotees too were silent for a moment, astonished.
  745. 39The Master was talking a little with them when he suddenly came over to Mani and said to him softly, apart: "But one who has heartfelt devotion to God…
  746. 40Water fell on the fire of Mani's anxiety. All this while he had been thinking, "If she kills herself, let her. What can I do?"
  747. 41Mani, to Sri Ramakrishna: The world is a terrible place!
  748. 42Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani, Narendra and the others: That is why Chaitanyadeva said, "Listen, listen, brother Nityananda: for the worldly man there is n…
  749. 43He had once said to Mani, alone: "Without pure devotion to God there is no way out. But if a man attains God and then lives in the world, he has nothi…
  750. 44The food offering and its arati in the temples were over, and at once the nahabat began to play. Now the deities would rest. Sri Ramakrishna sat down…
  751. 1Chapter Three
  752. 2On Vijaya Day: Sri Ramakrishna among the Devotees in the Temple Garden at Dakshineswar
  753. 3Sri Ramakrishna is at the temple garden of Dakshineswar. It is about nine in the morning. He is resting on the small cot; Mani sits below him on the f…
  754. 4Today is Vijaya: Sunday, the sixth of Kartik, 1289, the bright tenth of Aswin, the twenty-second of October, 1882. Rakhal is living with the Master th…
  755. 5Sri Ramakrishna: Have you had your holiday for the Puja?
  756. 6Mani: Yes, sir. On the seventh, eighth and ninth days of the Puja I went to Keshab Sen's house every day.
  757. 7Sri Ramakrishna: You don't say!
  758. 8Mani: I heard a fine interpretation of the Durga Puja.
  759. 9Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, what was it?
  760. 10Mani: There is a service at Keshab Sen's house every morning, lasting till ten or eleven. During that service he explained the Durga Puja. He said tha…
  761. 11Narendra and the Other Intimate Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna
  762. 12The Master heard the whole account, and now and then asked questions about Keshab's services. Finally he said: "Don't go here and there. Come only her…
  763. 13"Those who are my intimates will come only here. Narendra, Bhavanath, Rakhal: these are my intimates. They are no ordinary souls. Give them a meal som…
  764. 14Mani: Very good, sir.
  765. 15Sri Ramakrishna: You see how many gifts Narendra has: singing, playing, learning; and then he is master of his senses. He says he will not marry. From…
  766. 16The Master talks with Mani again.
  767. 17With Form or without Form? Meditation on the Image Made of Spirit; Meditation on the Mother
  768. 18Sri Ramakrishna: How is your contemplation of God going these days? Which appeals to you: God with form, or without form?
  769. 19Mani: Sir, my mind no longer goes to God with form. But then I cannot fix it on the formless either.
  770. 20Sri Ramakrishna: You see? The mind cannot be fixed on the formless all at once. At the start God with form is very good.
  771. 21Mani: You mean, think of these clay images?
  772. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Why clay? Images made of Spirit.
  773. 23Mani: Sir, even so, one will still have to think of hands and feet? But I also see that, as you have told me, in the first stage the mind will not gro…
  774. 24Sri Ramakrishna: Yes. She, the mother, is the guru, and the very form of Brahman.
  775. 25Mani sits silent.
  776. 26After a while he asks the Master again:
  777. 27Mani: Sir, how does one see the formless? Can it not be described?
  778. 28Sri Ramakrishna, after a moment's thought: Do you know what it is like?
  779. 29With these words the Master was silent for a moment. Then he said a single word on what the experience of seeing God with form and without form is lik…
  780. 30Sri Ramakrishna: You see, to understand this rightly one needs spiritual practice. If you want to see the jewels inside a room and take them, you must…
  781. 31Chapter Four
  782. 32The Master Is Infinite, and God Is Infinite; All Are Paths; the Vision of Sri Vrindavan Countless Incarnations in the View of the Jnani; the Kutichaka…
  783. 33Sri Ramakrishna: The jnanis meditate on the formless. They do not accept the Incarnation. Arjuna was praising Sri Krishna: "You are the full Brahman."…
  784. 34"Kabir Das had a strong leaning to the formless. If anyone spoke of Krishna, Kabir would answer: 'Worship him? He danced a monkey's dance to the gopis…
  785. 35Mani, smiling: Just as He of whom we speak, God, is infinite, so you too are infinite! There is no getting to the end of you.
  786. 36Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Ah, you have found me out! Do you know, one must take up every religion once; one has to travel by every path. Can a piece i…
  787. 37Mani: Yes, sir.
  788. 38Sri Ramakrishna: There are two kinds of yogi, the bahudaka and the kutichaka. The holy man who goes from one place of pilgrimage to another, whose min…
  789. 39"I had to take up every religion once: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and again the Sakta, the Vaishnava and Vedanta. I have come along all these paths too…
  790. 40"When I went on pilgrimage, at times it was very painful. At Kasi I went with Sejo Babu to the parlour of the Raja Babus. There I found them talking a…
  791. 41"But it is true that pilgrimage kindles the spirit. With Mathur Babu I went to Vrindavan; the women of his household came too, and Hriday too. The mom…
  792. 42"In the evening I used to walk on the bank of the Jamuna. At that hour the cattle would come back from the pastures across the sandbanks of the river.…
  793. 43"I was going by palanquin on the road to Syamakunda and Radhakunda, and got down to see Govardhan. The moment I saw Govardhan I was overwhelmed; I ran…
  794. 44"Gangamayi looked after me with great care. She was a very old woman, living by herself in a hut by the Nidhuvan. Seeing my state and my ecstasies, sh…
  795. 45"Gangamayi used to go into ecstasy. People would flock to see her ecstasies. One day in ecstasy she climbed on to Hriday's shoulders.
  796. 46"I had no wish to leave Gangamayi and come home. Everything was arranged: I was to eat parboiled rice; Gangamayi's bed would be on this side of the ro…
  797. 47"The spirit of Vrindavan is lovely. When a new pilgrim arrives, the boys of Braja keep saying, 'Hari bolo, gathri kholo!' that is, 'Chant Hari's name…
  798. 48After eleven o'clock Sri Ramakrishna took the prasad of Mother Kali. After a little rest at midday he spent the afternoon talking again with the devot…
  799. 49The evening arati has been performed in the temples. Today is Vijaya. Sri Ramakrishna has come to the Kali temple, and the devotees take the dust from…
  800. 50Siddhi has been offered to Mother Kali. The Master means to touch that prasad, and so he is calling Ramlal. He tells him to give a little of it to eac…
  801. 1Chapter Five
  802. 2With Balaram and Others at the Dakshineswar Temple: Teaching to Balaram Omens; Truthfulness; the Harmony of All Religions; "Woman and Gold Alone Are M…
  803. 3Tuesday afternoon: the eighth of Kartik, 1289, the bright thirteenth, the twenty-fourth of October. It is about three or four o'clock. The Master is s…
  804. 4Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, one has to heed these things. Look, Rakhal is ill, and my hands and feet are aching too. Do you know what happened? When I got…
  805. 5"Then there is another man who comes here; I cannot eat anything he brings. He works in an office for twenty rupees a month, and he gets another twent…
  806. 6Balaram's family are devout Vaishnavas. His aged father is a devout Vaishnava too: he wears the sacred tuft, a string of tulsi beads round his neck, a…
  807. 7Sri Ramakrishna: "So-and-so came the other day. I hear he is a slave to that dark wife of his! Why is God not seen? Because woman and gold stand betwe…
  808. 8Recollections: On the Road from Burdwan, the Journey Home; Hearing the Songs of Nakur Acharya
  809. 9"Well, tell me what this state of mine is. I was going home to my village. I had got off the train at Burdwan and was sitting in a bullock cart when a…
  810. 10Was the Master saying that God is one and His names are countless, and that people of different faiths and sects quarrel to their ruin for nothing?
  811. 11Sri Ramakrishna, to Balaram: Woman and gold alone are maya. If one lives in their midst for a long time, one loses one's awareness; one feels one is q…
  812. 12To M.: "One should not feel shy about it. 'Shame, hatred and fear: these three must go.'
  813. 13"In our part of the country they sing fine kirtan, kirtan with the drum. Nakur Acharya's singing is wonderful! Do you have a temple in Vrindavan?"
  814. 14Balaram: Yes, sir. We have a garden shrine there, with the worship of Syamasundar.
  815. 15Sri Ramakrishna: I have been to Vrindavan. The Nidhuvan is a lovely place.
  816. 1Sri Ramakrishna's Boat Trip with Sri Keshab Chandra Sen: Joy and Conversation
  817. 2Chapter Six
  818. 3The Master in the "Temple of Samadhi"
  819. 4Today is the Kojagari Lakshmi Puja: Friday the twenty-seventh of October 1882. The Master is sitting at the Dakshineswar Kali temple, in that same roo…
  820. 5It is past four in the afternoon. The Master is going out by boat to board the steamer, and Vijay is with him. No sooner has he stepped into the boat…
  821. 6M., standing on the steamer, is watching this picture of samadhi! He boarded Keshab's steamer at three in the afternoon and has come with it from Calc…
  822. 7Keshab and the Brahmo devotees gathered with him are looking from the steamer at the beauty of the temple garden. A little way to the east of the stea…
  823. 8Chapter Seven
  824. 9As a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on others that are new, so the embodied soul casts off worn-out bodies and enters into others that are ne…
  825. 10In the Temple of Samadhi; the Self Is Imperishable; Pavhari Baba
  826. 11The boat came alongside. Everyone was eager to see Sri Ramakrishna. A crowd had gathered. Keshab was anxious to bring the Master safely on board. With…
  827. 12Keshab saw that there were too many people in the cabin and that the Master was uncomfortable. Vijay had left him and joined the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj…
  828. 13The Brahmo devotees were gazing with fixed eyes. The Master came down from samadhi. The mood was still on him in full. The Master was saying to himsel…
  829. 14Was the Master seeing that worldly people are shut up inside a fence, that they cannot come out and cannot even see the light outside, that worldly wo…
  830. 15Little by little the Master was coming back to outward consciousness. Nilmadhav Babu of Ghazipur and a Brahmo devotee began to speak of Pavhari Baba.
  831. 16A Brahmo devotee: Sir, these gentlemen have all seen Pavhari Baba. He lives at Ghazipur. He is another like you.
  832. 17The Master still could not speak. He smiled a little.
  833. 18The Brahmo devotee, to the Master: Sir, Pavhari Baba has kept a photograph of you in his own room.
  834. 19The Master smiled a little and, pointing to himself, said, "The case."
  835. 20Chapter Eight
  836. 21The state reached by the men of knowledge is reached by the yogis too. He who sees knowledge and yoga as one truly sees. Bhagavad Gita
  837. 22The Harmony of the Paths of Knowledge, Devotion and Work
  838. 23"The pillow and its case": the embodied soul and the body. Was the Master saying that the body is perishable and will not last? That he who dwells wit…
  839. 24The Master had come back to himself a little. He said:
  840. 25"But there is one thing. The devotee's heart is His dwelling place. He is in all beings, it is true, but He is in the devotee's heart in a special way…
  841. 26One God and His Different Names; the Man of Knowledge, the Yogi and the Devotee
  842. 27"He whom the men of knowledge call Brahman, the yogis call the Self, and the devotees call Bhagavan.
  843. 28"It is one and the same brahmin: when he performs worship he is called the priest; when he cooks he is called the cook. The man of knowledge, who hold…
  844. 29"That is what the men of knowledge say, the Vedantists, for instance. But the devotees accept every state. They take the waking state as real too; the…
  845. 30"Do you know the devotee's attitude? 'O Lord, You are the master and I the servant'; 'You the Mother and I Your child'; or again, 'You are my father o…
  846. 31"The yogi too tries to realize the Supreme Self. His aim is the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Self. The yogi gathers his mind in from…
  847. 32"But it is one and the same Reality. Only the names differ. He who is Brahman is the Self, and He is Bhagavan. To the knower of Brahman He is Brahman,…
  848. 33Chapter Nine
  849. 34You are the subtle, the gross too are You; You are both the manifest and the unmanifest. Without form, You are yet with form: who is able to know You?…
  850. 35The Harmony of the Vedas and the Tantras; the Splendour of the Primal Energy
  851. 36Meanwhile the steamer was going on toward Calcutta. Those in the cabin who were gazing at Sri Ramakrishna and hearing his nectar-like words did not ev…
  852. 37Little by little the steamer left Dakshineswar behind. The picture of the beautiful temple passed out of sight. The bluish water of the Ganges, churne…
  853. 38Sri Ramakrishna: The Vedantists, the knowers of Brahman, say that creation, preservation and dissolution, the jivas and the world, are all the play of…
  854. 39"But reason as much as you like, unless you go into samadhi there is no getting beyond the domain of Sakti. 'I am meditating', 'I am thinking': all of…
  855. 40"So Brahman and Sakti are not different. Accept the one and you must accept the other. Take fire and its power of burning: accept fire and you must ac…
  856. 41"What is milk like? Why, white, white. You cannot think of milk without its whiteness, nor of the whiteness of milk without the milk.
  857. 42"So one cannot think of Sakti without Brahman, nor of Brahman without Sakti. You cannot think of the Eternal without the Play, or of the Play without…
  858. 43"The Primal Energy is ever at play: She creates, preserves and destroys. Her name is Kali. Kali is Brahman, and Brahman is Kali! The Reality is one. W…
  859. 44"It is like 'jal', 'water' and 'pani'. A pond has three or four ghats. At one ghat the Hindus drink water and call it 'jal'. At another the Muslims dr…
  860. 45Nitya, the Eternal: the Absolute.
  861. 46Lila, the Play: the Relative Phenomenal World.
  862. 47Keshab, smiling: Please tell us in how many ways Kali sports.
  863. 48Talk with Keshab: Mahakali and the Story of Creation
  864. 49Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: She sports in many ways. She is Mahakali, Nityakali, Smasanakali, Rakshakali and Syamakali. Mahakali and Nityakali are spoke…
  865. 50"Syamakali has much of a tender aspect; She grants boons and banishes fear. It is She who is worshipped in householders' homes. When there is epidemic…
  866. 51Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Yes, indeed! Housewives keep a pot like that. Inside it they keep sea-foam, little balls of washing blue, little bundles of…
  867. 52Kali Is Brahman; Kali Both Without and With Attributes
  868. 53"Is Kali black? She looks black because She is far away; when you come to know Her, She is not black.
  869. 54"The sky looks blue from far off. Look close by: there is no colour. The sea water looks blue from a distance; go near, lift some in your hand and loo…
  870. 55Saying this, Sri Ramakrishna, mad with love, began to sing:
  871. 56Is my Mother black, then? Clad in space, dark of form, She lights up the lotus of the heart.
  872. 57Chapter Ten
  873. 58Deluded by these three states born of the gunas, the whole world does not know Me, who stand beyond them, undecaying. Bhagavad Gita 7.13
  874. 59Why This World?
  875. 60Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab and the others: Bondage and liberation: She is the author of both. By Her maya worldly people are bound by woman and gold,…
  876. 61So saying, he sang a song of Ramprasad in a voice that would put the gandharvas to shame:
  877. 62Mother Syama, You are flying a kite in the market place of the world. It flies on the wind of hope, tied by the string of maya. Its frame is strung, j…
  878. 63"She is playful! This world is Her play. She does as She wills; She is full of bliss. Out of a hundred thousand She frees one."
  879. 64A Brahmo devotee: Sir, if She wished, She could free everyone. Then why has She kept us bound in the world?
  880. 65Sri Ramakrishna: That is Her will. Her will is to play with all this. If you touch the granny at the very start, there is no running about. If everyon…
  881. 66"She has winked at the mind and given it the hint: 'Go now, go and live in the world.' What fault is it of the mind? If She is gracious again and turn…
  882. 67The Master, taking the part of a worldly man, sang in loving reproach to the Mother:
  883. 68This is the grief that grieves me: that with You for my mother I am robbed while I am awake. I mean to take Your name, but when the time comes I forge…
  884. 69"Deluded by Her maya, man has become worldly. As Ramprasad says, 'You gave me a mind, and then You winked at that same mind.'"
  885. 70Teaching on the Path of Work; the World and Work without Desire
  886. 71A Brahmo devotee: Sir, can God not be reached without giving up everything?
  887. 72Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "No, no! Why should you give up everything? You are doing very well as you are, enjoying yourselves. You have both the crust…
  888. 73"I tell you truly, there is no harm in your living in the world. But you must keep your mind on God. Without that it will not do. With one hand do you…
  889. 74"It is all a matter of the mind. In the mind one is bound, and in the mind one is free. The mind takes the colour you dye it in. It is like the clothe…
  890. 75"Everything depends on the mind. On one side is the wife, on the other the child. A man shows his love to the one in one way and to the child in anoth…
  891. 76Chapter Eleven
  892. 77Give up all duties and take refuge in Me alone. I shall free you from all sin; do not grieve. Bhagavad Gita 18.66
  893. 78Teaching to the Brahmos: Christianity, the Brahmo Samaj and the Doctrine of Sin
  894. 79Sri Ramakrishna, to the Brahmo devotees: It is in the mind that one is bound, and in the mind that one is free. I am a free soul. Let me be in the wor…
  895. 80An Earlier Time: Sri Ramakrishna Hears the Bible; the Faith of Krishnakishore
  896. 81"A man once gave me a Christian book, and I had him read it aloud to me. There was nothing in it but sin and more sin." Then, to Keshab: "In your Brah…
  897. 82"One must have such faith in God's name: 'What! I have taken His name, and shall sin still cling to me? What sin can there be for me? What bondage can…
  898. 83"When a man takes the name of God, his body and mind all become pure.
  899. 84"Why only this talk of sin and hell? Say once, 'I will not again do the wrong things I have done.' And trust in His name."
  900. 85The Master, mad with love, sang of the glory of the Name:
  901. 86If I die, O Mother, with the name of Durga, Durga on my lips, then at the last, O Sankari, we shall see how You can fail to save this lowly one.
  902. 87"I asked the Mother only for devotion. With flowers in my hand I offered them at the Mother's lotus feet and said, 'Mother, here is Your sin, here is…
  903. 88To the Brahmo devotees: Hear a song of Ramprasad's:
  904. 89Come, mind, shall we go walking? At the foot of Kali, the wish-fulfilling tree, O mind, you will gather the four fruits. Of your two wives, Worldlines…
  905. 90"Why should God not be reached in the world? Janaka reached Him. Ramprasad said the world is 'a frame of illusion'. Once you gain devotion to His lotu…
  906. 91This world itself is a hut of fun; I eat and drink and make merry. King Janaka was mighty indeed: what did he lack? He held on to this side and to tha…
  907. 92The Brahmo Samaj and King Janaka; the Householder's Way: Solitude and Discrimination
  908. 93"But one cannot become a King Janaka all of a sudden. King Janaka practised much austerity in solitude. Even while living in the world, one has to liv…
  909. 94"The disease is typhoid. And in the very room where the typhoid patient lies there are a jar of water and pickled tamarind. If you want the patient to…
  910. 95"One should live in the world after gaining discrimination and dispassion. In the sea of the world there are the crocodiles of lust, anger and the res…
  911. 96The Other Way: Love for God, a Pull or Tenderness Like the Gopis'
  912. 97The flute has sounded in the grove. I cannot but go; Syam is waiting on the path. Say, friends, will you go or will you not? To you Syam is only a nam…
  913. 98As he sang this song, tears streaming from his eyes, the Master said to Keshab and the other devotees, "Whether or not you accept Radha and Krishna, t…
  914. 99Chapter Twelve
  915. 100Holding all the senses in check, even-minded everywhere, delighting in the good of all beings, it is Me they reach. Bhagavad Gita
  916. 101The Boat Trip with Sri Keshab Sen; Delighting in the Good of All Beings
  917. 102The tide was ebbing. The steamer was going swiftly toward Calcutta. So the captain had been told to pass the bridge and go on a little further toward…
  918. 103Now puffed rice and coconut were being eaten. Everyone took a little in the fold of his cloth and ate. It was a feast of joy. Keshab had brought the p…
  919. 104Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab: "Look here! Here is Vijay. Your quarrel is like the fight between Siva and Rama." There was laughter. "Siva was Rama's gur…
  920. 105"It happens like that between one's own people. Lava and Kusa fought with Rama, you know. And you know that mother and daughter keep separate Tuesday…
  921. 106"Ramanuja held the doctrine of qualified non-dualism. His guru was a non-dualist. In the end the two fell out. Guru and disciple began to refute each…
  922. 107Chapter Thirteen
  923. 108You are the Father of the world, of all that moves and does not move; You are its object of worship, the greatest Guru. There is none equal to You in…
  924. 109Teaching to Keshab: Acting the Guru, and the Brahmo Samaj; the Only Guru Is Satchidananda
  925. 110Everyone was full of joy. The Master was saying to Keshab: "You do not look at a man's nature before you make him a disciple, and so your groups keep…
  926. 111"Men all look alike, but they differ in nature. In some sattva is strong, in some rajas, in some tamas. The pulis all look alike. But some are filled…
  927. 112"Do you know my attitude? I eat and drink and live, and the Mother knows all the rest. Three words prick me like thorns: guru, master and father.
  928. 113"The only Guru is Satchidananda. He alone will teach. My attitude is that of a child. Human gurus are to be had by the hundred thousand. Everyone wish…
  929. 114"It is very hard to teach people. One can do it if God reveals Himself and gives the command. Narada, Sukadeva and the others had the command. Sankara…
  930. 115"And a command that comes only in one's own mind will not do. God really and truly reveals Himself and speaks. Then there can be a command. How great…
  931. 116An Earlier Time: The Haldarpukur Pond Seen in Ecstasy
  932. 117"In my part of the country there is a pond called Haldarpukur. Every morning people used to relieve themselves on its banks. Those who came in the mor…
  933. 118"Whoever would teach people must carry a badge of office; without it, it becomes a laughing matter. A man has not got it himself, and he would give it…
  934. 119"Deluded by Egotism, a Man Thinks, 'I Am the Doer'": the Gita
  935. 120"Without the command a man gets the egotism of thinking, 'I am teaching people.' Egotism comes from ignorance. In ignorance one feels, 'I am the doer.…
  936. 121Chapter Fourteen
  937. 122Therefore, without attachment, always do the work you must do; for by doing work without attachment a man attains the Supreme. Bhagavad Gita
  938. 123Teaching on the Path of Work to Keshab and the Other Brahmos
  939. 124Sri Ramakrishna, turning to Keshab and the other devotees: You speak of "helping the world." Is the world such a little thing? And who are you, that y…
  940. 125A devotee: Until He is attained, should we give up all work?
  941. 126Sri Ramakrishna: No. Why give up work? Thinking of God, singing His name and glories, the daily devotions: all these must be done.
  942. 127The Brahmo devotee: And the work of the world? Our worldly duties?
  943. 128Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, you must do that too, as much as you need to get through life in the world. But you must pray to Him in solitude with tears, so…
  944. 129An Earlier Time: Talk with Sambhu Mallick about Charity and Ritual Works
  945. 130"Sambhu Mallick talked about hospitals, dispensaries, schools, roads and tanks. I said: Whatever comes before you and must be done, do that, without d…
  946. 131"The path of work is very hard. The work the scriptures enjoin is very hard to do in the Kaliyuga. Life depends on food. One cannot do much work. When…
  947. 132Chapter Fifteen
  948. 133At Surendra's House with Narendra and Others
  949. 134Now the steamer came back to the Coal Ghat. Everyone began to get ready to go ashore. Coming out of the cabin they saw the full moon of the Kojagari n…
  950. 135When everyone was seated in the carriage, the Master asked, "Where is he? Where?" meaning, "Where is Keshab?" In a moment Keshab came up alone, smilin…
  951. 136The carriage moved off. The English quarter. A fine broad road. On both sides of the road, beautiful mansions. The full moon had risen, and the mansio…
  952. 137He had the nature of a child. As the carriage drove on, the Master leaned out and watched the people, the carriages and horses, the moonlight. Everyth…
  953. 138Nandalal got down at Colootola. The Master's carriage drew up at the house of Sri Suresh Mitra in Simulia Street. The Master used to call him Surendra…
  954. 139But Surendra was not at home; he had gone to their new garden house. The household opened the downstairs room for them to sit in. The carriage fare ha…
  955. 140Narendra lived in the same neighbourhood. The Master sent for Narendra. Meanwhile the people of the house seated the Master in a room upstairs. On the…
  956. 141The Master was sitting there, talking and laughing, when Narendra arrived, and then the Master's joy seemed to double. He said, "Today I went on such…
  957. 142M. said, "Yes, sir."
  958. 143Night had come on, and still Surendra did not return. The Master was to go back to Dakshineswar and could wait no longer: it was half past ten at nigh…
  959. 144The carriage came. The Master got in. Narendra and M. bowed down before him and went back to their own homes in Calcutta.
  960. 1The Visit to the Sinthi Brahmo Samaj: Conversation and Joy with Sri Sivanath and Other Brahmo Devotees
  961. 2Chapter Sixteen
  962. 3Sri Ramakrishna in the Festival Hall
  963. 4Nearly forty years have passed since the Paramahamsa went to see the Sinthi Brahmo Samaj. It was the twenty-eighth of October 1882 of the Christian er…
  964. 5Today there is a great festival here: the half-yearly celebration of the Brahmo Samaj. That is why Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna has been invited. At about…
  965. 6Sinthi is near Paikpara, a kos and a half, some three miles, north of Calcutta. I have called the garden house lovely. The place is very secluded and…
  966. 7By the afternoon the garden is crowded with people. Some sit on wooden benches in the shade of the arbour. Some stroll with friends along the edge of…
  967. 8Everyone seems thirsty for the sight of God. Just then the Paramahamsa's carriage drew up in front of the hall of the Samaj.
  968. 9Everyone rises to greet the great soul. He has come. The people all round are closing about him in a circle.
  969. 10In the main room of the hall the altar has been set up. That room is full of people. In front of it is a verandah where the Paramahamsa is seated, and…
  970. 11The Master, the Paramahamsa, took his seat, smiling. Now all eyes fell at once upon his form full of bliss. Until a play begins in a theatre, some of…
  971. 12Chapter Seventeen
  972. 13He who serves Me with the unswerving yoga of devotion goes beyond these gunas and becomes fit to be one with Brahman. Bhagavad Gita
  973. 14Greeting the Devotees
  974. 15Smiling, the Master turned his eyes on Sri Sivanath and the other devotees. He said, "Here is Sivanath! You see, you are devotees, and it gives me gre…
  975. 16The Nature of Worldly People: The Glory of the Name
  976. 17Sri Ramakrishna: "When I see people whose minds are not on God, I tell them, 'Why don't you go and sit over there for a little while? Or else I say, g…
  977. 18"Again, I have seen worthless fellows come along with the devotees. They are thoroughly worldly-minded, and talk about God does not appeal to them. Th…
  978. 19"If you tell worldly people to give up everything and lose themselves in God's lotus feet, they will never listen. So, to draw worldly people, the two…
  979. 20"Nitai would get people to repeat the name of Hari somehow or other. Chaitanya said there is great power in the name of God. It may not bear fruit qui…
  980. 21Human Nature and the Three Gunas: The Sattva, Rajas and Tamas of Devotion
  981. 22Sri Ramakrishna: "Just as worldly people have the three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas, so devotion too has the three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas."
  982. 23"Do you know what sattva is like in a worldly man? His house is falling apart here and falling apart there, and he does not repair it. The pigeons are…
  983. 24"Then a worldly man has the marks of rajas. A watch, a watch-chain, two or three rings on the hand. The furniture of the house is very trim. On the wa…
  984. 25"The marks of tamas in a worldly man: sleep, lust, anger, egotism and the like.
  985. 26"And there is the sattva of devotion. A devotee who has sattva meditates in great secrecy. Perhaps he meditates inside his mosquito net, and everyone…
  986. 27"If a devotee has the rajas of devotion, he may wear a tilaka and a rosary of rudraksha, and among the beads, here and there, a bead of gold!" Everyon…
  987. 28Chapter Eighteen
  988. 29Do not yield to unmanliness, O Partha; it does not become you. Cast off this petty weakness of heart and stand up, scorcher of foes. Bhagavad Gita
  989. 30Sri Ramakrishna: One who has the tamas of devotion has a blazing faith. Such a devotee uses force with God, as if he were seizing wealth by robbery. "…
  990. 31The Master, his eyes lifted upward, sings in a voice steeped in the nectar of love:
  991. 32Who cares for Gaya, the Ganges, Prabhasa and the rest, for Kasi and Kanchi, if my breath runs out as I say Kali, Kali? One who says Kali at the three…
  992. 33The Master, mad with divine feeling, sings as though he had been initiated into a mantra of fire:
  993. 34The Glory of the Name and Sin: Three Kinds of Teacher
  994. 35If I die, O Mother, with the name of Durga, Durga on my lips, then at the last, O Sankari, we shall see how You can fail to save this lowly one.
  995. 36"What! I have taken His name, and still I have sin! I am His child, heir to His riches! One must have that kind of determination!
  996. 37"If tamas is turned around it leads to God. Use force with Him: He is no stranger, He is our very own. And see, this tamas can be used for the good of…
  997. 38"Teachers, like physicians, are of three kinds. The one who gives religious instruction and then takes no further notice of his disciples is the lowes…
  998. 39Chapter Nineteen
  999. 40"From which words turn back, together with the mind, not reaching it." Taittiriya Upanishad
  1000. 41What Brahman Is Cannot Be Told in Words
  1001. 42A Brahmo devotee put the question: "Has God form, or is He formless?"
  1002. 43Sri Ramakrishna: No one can set a limit to Him. He is without form, and again He has form. For the devotee He has form. For the jnanis, that is, those…
  1003. 44"Do you know what it is like? Think of an ocean of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss with no shore and no bound. In places the water freezes into ice in the c…
  1004. 45"By reasoning and reasoning, the 'I' and all the rest of it is gone. First you peel off the red outer skin of an onion, then the thick white layers. G…
  1005. 46"Where one's own 'I' can no longer be found, and there is no one left even to look for it, who can tell how Brahman is known there in one's own realiz…
  1006. 47"A salt doll once went to measure how deep the ocean was. The moment it went into the sea it melted and was lost in it. Then who was to bring back the…
  1007. 48"This is the mark of perfect knowledge: when a man has perfect knowledge he falls silent. Then the salt doll of the 'I' melts into the ocean of Existe…
  1008. 49"As long as reasoning has not come to an end, people argue noisily. When it ends, they fall silent. When the pitcher is full, when the water in the pi…
  1009. 50"People used to say in the old days that a ship that went into the Black Waters never came back."
  1010. 51But the "I" Does Not Go
  1011. 52"When the 'I' dies, all the trouble is over." There was laughter. "But reason as much as you like, the 'I' does not go. For you and me the pride of 'I…
  1012. 53"For the devotee there is Brahman with attributes. That is to say, He is with attributes: He reveals Himself as a Person, as a form. It is He who hear…
  1013. 54"It is by the path of devotion that He is easily reached."
  1014. 55Chapter Twenty
  1015. 56By undivided devotion, Arjuna, I can be known in this form, seen in truth and entered into, scorcher of foes. Bhagavad Gita
  1016. 57Seeing God: With Form or Without Form?
  1017. 58A Brahmo devotee asked, "Sir, can God be seen? If He can be seen, why can we not see Him?"
  1018. 59Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, of course He can be seen. He can be seen with form, and He can be seen without form as well. But how am I to make you understand…
  1019. 60The Brahmo devotee: By what means can He be seen?
  1020. 61Sri Ramakrishna: Can you weep for Him, your heart restless with longing?
  1021. 62"People shed a jugful of tears for their children, for their wives, for money. But who sheds tears for God? So long as the child is busy with its suck…
  1022. 63The Brahmo devotee: Sir! Why do people hold so many differing views about God's nature? Some say He has form, some say He is formless, and again from…
  1023. 64Sri Ramakrishna: Each devotee takes Him to be what he has seen. Really there is no confusion at all. If only a man can somehow attain Him once, He wil…
  1024. 65"Listen to a story:
  1025. 66"A man had gone out to the fields to relieve himself. He saw that there was a creature on a tree. He came back and said to another man, 'Listen, I hav…
  1026. 67"That is to say, only the man who thinks of God always can know what His nature is. He alone knows that God shows Himself in many forms and in many wa…
  1027. 68"Kabir used to say, 'The formless is my Father, the One with form my Mother.'
  1028. 69"God reveals Himself in whatever form His devotee loves; He is so loving to His devotees.
  1029. 70"It is told in the Puranas that He took Rama's form for Hanuman's sake, that heroic devotee."
  1030. 71The Meaning of the Forms of Kali and Syam: The Infinite Cannot Be Known
  1031. 72"Before the reasoning of Vedanta, forms and all that fly away. The final conclusion of that reasoning is this: Brahman is real, and the world of names…
  1032. 73"Why is the form of Kali or of Syam only three and a half cubits tall? Because it is far away. Seen from far away the sun looks small; go near, and it…
  1033. 74"So I say, by the reasoning of Vedanta Brahman is without attributes. What He is cannot be told in words. But as long as you yourself are real, the wo…
  1034. 75Sri Ramakrishna: "The path of devotion is your path. This is very good; this is the easy path. Can the infinite God be known? And why need one know Hi…
  1035. 76"If a jugful of water quenches my thirst, what need have I to measure how much water there is in the pond? I get drunk on half a bottle of wine; what…
  1036. 77Chapter Twenty-One
  1037. 78But the man who delights in the Self alone, who finds his fill in the Self and rests content in the Self alone, for him there is nothing left to do. B…
  1038. 79The Signs of God-Realization: The Seven Planes and the Knowledge of Brahman
  1039. 80"The Vedas describe many different states of the knower of Brahman. The path of knowledge is a very hard path. If there is the least trace of worldlin…
  1040. 81"In this connection the Vedas speak of the Seven Planes. These seven planes are the mind's dwelling places. While the mind is in the world, its abode…
  1041. 82"The fifth plane of the mind is the throat. When a man's mind has risen to the throat, all his ignorance and delusion are gone, and he does not like t…
  1042. 83"The sixth plane of the mind is the forehead. When the mind arrives there, the divine form is seen day and night. Even then a little 'I' remains. Seei…
  1043. 84"The seventh plane is the crown of the head. When the mind gets there, samadhi comes, and the knower of Brahman sees Brahman directly. But in that sta…
  1044. 85When Samadhi Comes, Work Falls Away: Earlier Days: The Master's Giving Up of the Tarpana and Other Rites
  1045. 86"Someone once said to me, 'Sir, could you teach me samadhi?'" Everyone laughed.
  1046. 87"When samadhi comes, all work falls away. Work of worship and japa and the rest, worldly work, all of it drops off. At first there is a great to-do ab…
  1047. 88"After this state came upon me, I went to offer tarpana with Ganges water and found the water slipping through my fingers. Then, weeping, I asked Hala…
  1048. 89"In sankirtan they first sing, 'Nitai, my mad elephant! Nitai, my mad elephant!' When the feeling deepens they say only, 'Elephant! Elephant!' Then on…
  1049. 90"It is like a feast given to brahmins: first, a great hubbub. When everyone has sat down with a leaf-plate before him, much of the noise dies down, an…
  1050. 91"So I say, in the beginning there is a great to-do about work. The further you go along the path to God, the less work there will be. In the end work…
  1051. 92"When the daughter-in-law of a household is with child, her mother-in-law lightens her work; in the tenth month she has almost no work to do. When the…
  1052. 93The Bodies of Avataras and Others after Samadhi: For the Teaching of Mankind
  1053. 94"After samadhi the body hardly ever remains. In some it remains for the teaching of mankind, as in Narada and others like him, and in Avataras like Ch…
  1054. 95"But it is a special power. An ordinary vessel is afraid to teach men. A worthless piece of wood floats along somehow by itself, but if a bird comes a…
  1055. 96Chapter Twenty-Two
  1056. 97I rejoice to have seen what was never seen before, yet fear has shaken my mind. Show me, O God, that form of Yours alone; be gracious, Lord of the god…
  1057. 98The Brahmo Samaj's Way of Prayer and the Description of God's Splendour
  1058. 99Earlier Days: The Theft of the Jewels from the Shrine of Radhakanta at Dakshineswar, 1869
  1059. 100Sri Ramakrishna, to Sivanath and the others: Tell me, why do you describe God's splendour so much? I said the same thing to Keshab Sen. One day they a…
  1060. 101Then, once more, in that voice that put the gandharvas to shame, came that song full of sweetness:
  1061. 102"Dive, dive, dive deep, my mind, in the sea of Beauty; search the depths below and you will find the jewel of love. Seek, seek, seek, and you will fin…
  1062. 103"After the vision of God the devotee longs to see what His play is. After Ramachandra had killed Ravana He entered the city of the rakshasas, and old…
  1063. 104To Sivanath: "I long to see you. If I do not see pure souls, what am I to live with? Pure souls feel to me like friends from a former birth."
  1064. 105A Brahmo devotee asked, "Sir, do you believe in rebirth?"
  1065. 106Rebirth: "Many births of Mine have passed, and of yours, Arjuna"
  1066. 107Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, I have heard that there is rebirth. How can we understand God's works with our little minds? Many have said it, so I cannot disb…
  1067. 108With the Devotees, in the Joy of Kirtan
  1068. 109Now the evening service was held in the hall of the Samaj. It was about half past eight at night. Some two hours after dusk the night grew bright with…
  1069. 110When the kirtan was over Sri Ramakrishna bowed down to the ground before the Mother of the universe. As he bowed he said, "The Bhagavata, the devotee…
  1070. 111Benimadhav had prepared many kinds of delicious food and fed all the assembled devotees to their heart's content. Sri Ramakrishna too sat with the dev…
  1071. 1November 1882
  1072. 2At the Circus: the Hard Problem of the Householder and Other Workers, and Sri Ramakrishna
  1073. 3Chapter One
  1074. 4Sri Ramakrishna has driven up in a carriage to the door of the Vidyasagar school at Syampukur. It is about three in the afternoon. He takes M. into th…
  1075. 5Sri Ramakrishna is full of joy, like a drunken man. Like a boy he leans out now on this side of the carriage, now on that, to look. He talks with the…
  1076. 6Today Sri Ramakrishna is going to see Wilson's circus on the Maidan. When they reach the ground, tickets are bought: eight-anna tickets, that is, the…
  1077. 7They watch all kinds of feats in the ring for a long while. A horse is galloping round the circular track, with an English lady standing on its back o…
  1078. 8The circus is over. The Master comes down with the devotees and goes to the carriage on the Maidan. It has turned cold. Wrapped in his green broadclot…
  1079. 9First Spiritual Practice, Then the World; the Yoga of Practice
  1080. 10Sri Ramakrishna says to M.: "Did you see how the lady stands on one foot on the horse while it gallops round and round? How hard it is! She has practi…
  1081. 11Sri Ramakrishna at Balaram's House
  1082. 12Sri Ramakrishna gets into the carriage. It stops at Balaram's door in the Bosepara quarter of Baghbazar, and the Master goes with the devotees and sit…
  1083. 13Sri Ramakrishna, the Caste-system and the problem of the Untouchables solved
  1084. 14The talk turned to caste. The Master said: "There is one way by which caste distinctions can go, and that way is devotion. Devotees have no caste. Whe…
  1085. 15The Bound Soul in the World
  1086. 16Sri Ramakrishna is speaking of worldly men, bound souls. They are like silkworms: if they wished, they could cut their way out; but they have made the…
  1087. 17The Master sings:
  1088. 18Such is the spell of Mahamaya, so has She bewitched the world; Brahma and Vishnu are dazed by it; how can mere creatures know? Men make a trap and set…
  1089. 19The Master goes on: "Men are like grains of pulse that have fallen into the grinding mill; they will be crushed. But those few grains that cling to th…
  1090. 20The Master sings again:
  1091. 21Fallen into the sea of the world, Mother, the boat of my body is sinking. The storm of maya and the gale of delusion rise higher and higher, O Sankari…
  1092. 22Duty to wife and children
  1093. 23Biswas Babu, who had been sitting there a long while, now got up and left. He had once had a great deal of money, but it had all gone because of his l…
  1094. 24"Only the holy man will lay nothing by. 'The bird and the dervish' lay nothing by. But when the bird has young ones it does lay by; it carries food in…
  1095. 25Balaram: These days Biswas wishes to mix with holy men.
  1096. 26Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "The holy man's water-gourd goes round the four great places of pilgrimage, but it stays as bitter as ever. The trees touche…
  1097. 1Chapter Two
  1098. 2Seeing the Six-armed Form, and the Visit to Sri Rajmohan's House: Narendra
  1099. 3The very day after he saw the circus on the Maidan, Sri Ramakrishna came to Calcutta again: Thursday, the sixteenth of November, 1882, the bright sixt…
  1100. 4A little after dusk the Master drove to the house of Sri Rajmohan of Simulia. He had heard that Narendra and other young men came together there to ho…
  1101. 5Now Nimtala Street.
  1102. 6The Brahmo Devotee and Total Renunciation, or Sannyasa
  1103. 7The Master was delighted to see Narendra. "I want to see your service!" he said. Narendra began to sing. Sri Priya and a few other young men were pres…
  1104. 8Now the service is being held. One of the young men is conducting it. He is praying: Lord, may I give up everything and be lost in You! It seems the s…
  1105. 9Sri Rajmohan is taking the Master into the house for refreshments.
  1106. 1Chapter Three
  1107. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Houses of Sri Manomohan and Sri Surendra
  1108. 3The following Sunday, the nineteenth of November, 1882, is the worship of Jagaddhatri, and Surendra has invited the Master. He keeps going in and out…
  1109. 4In Manomohan's parlour the Master is saying: "The devotion of one who has nothing, who is lowly, is dear to God, as fodder mixed with oil-cake is dear…
  1110. 5The Master sings:
  1111. 6For that feeling the great yogis practise yoga age after age. When feeling dawns, She draws the soul as the magnet draws iron.
  1112. 7"At the name of Krishna tears would flow from Chaitanyadeva's eyes. God alone is real; all else is unreal. Man can attain God if he will. But he is wh…
  1113. 8"Devotion is the essence. Who can know God by reasoning? What I need is devotion. What need have I to know all about His infinite splendour? If a sing…
  1114. 9Surendra's Elder Brother and the Office of Subordinate Judge—Caste— caste system and problem of the untouchables solved—Theosophy
  1115. 10Sri Ramakrishna has now come to Surendra's house, and is sitting in the parlour upstairs. Surendra's second brother, a subordinate judge, is there too…
  1116. 11Surendra's brother: Sir, the Brahmo Samaj speaks of the emancipation of women, and of doing away with caste. What do you think of all this?
  1117. 12Sri Ramakrishna: That is how it is when love for God is new. When a storm comes the dust flies, and you cannot tell which is the hog-plum, which the t…
  1118. 13"Caste? There is only one way caste can go, and that is devotion. Devotees have no caste. The untouchable caste becomes pure: a chandala who becomes a…
  1119. 14"The Brahmos sing Hari's name; that is excellent. If one calls on Him with longing, His grace will come and one will attain God.
  1120. 15"He can be reached by every path. People call on the one God by many names. It is like this: at one ghat the Hindus drink the water and call it jal; a…
  1121. 16Surendra's brother: Sir, how does Theosophy strike you?
  1122. 17Sri Ramakrishna: I hear that miraculous powers come from it. At Dev Morol's house I saw a man who had mastered a spirit. The spirit used to bring him…
  1123. 1Chapter Four
  1124. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Mani Mallick's Brahmo Festival
  1125. 3Sri Ramakrishna had gone with the devotees to Sri Manilal Mallick's house at Sinduriapati in Calcutta. A Brahmo Samaj festival is held there every yea…
  1126. 4Sri Manilal has made ample arrangements for the entertainment of the devotees. There is to be a recital of the life of Prahlada, then the service of t…
  1127. 5Sri Vijay still belongs to the Brahmo Samaj; today's service is his to lead. He has not yet taken the ochre cloth.
  1128. 6The kathak is telling the story of Prahlada. His father Hiranyakasipu reviles Hari and torments his son Prahlada again and again. Prahlada prays to Ha…
  1129. 7Instruction to Sri Vijay Goswami and Other Brahmo Devotees: The Vision of God and Receiving the Command, and Only Then Teaching Others
  1130. 8After a while he says to Vijay and the other devotees: "Devotion is the essence. By chanting His name and glories always, one gains devotion. Ah, what…
  1131. 9"It is not good to think that one's own religion alone is right and all the rest are wrong. He can be reached by every path. Sincere longing is all th…
  1132. 10"Look! God can be seen. The Vedas say He is 'beyond speech and mind': that means beyond the reach of a mind attached to worldly things. Vaishnavcharan…
  1133. 11"When after purity of heart one gains devotion, then by His grace one sees Him. If after the vision one receives His command, then one can teach other…
  1134. 12Why do you sit and brood alone, my mind? Without love, can you find the moon of Gaur?
  1135. 13"The mind alone is the cause of bondage and liberation for men: attached to objects it binds, free of objects it frees, so it is taught." (Maitrayani…
  1136. 14There is no Madhava in your temple; Podo, blowing the conch, you have made a din. And eleven bats are in there, Hold their station day and night.
  1137. 15"First the temple of the heart has to be cleaned; the image of the deity has to be brought in; the preparations for worship have to be made. With no p…
  1138. 16Now Sri Vijay Goswami sits on the dais and conducts the service according to the Brahmo Samaj's order of worship. When it is over he comes and sits ne…
  1139. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay: Tell me, why did you all go on so much about sin, sin? If you say "I'm a sinner," "I'm a sinner," a hundred times, a sinner…
  1140. 1Sri Ramakrishna's Teaching to Sri Vijaykrishna Goswami and Other Brahmo Devotees
  1141. 2Chapter One
  1142. 3It is never born, and it never dies; it did not come to be, nor will it come to be again. Unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient, it is not slain wh…
  1143. 4Is It Suicide When a Free Soul Gives Up the Body?
  1144. 5Sri Vijaykrishna Goswami has come to Dakshineswar, to the Kali temple, to see Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna. With him are three or four Brahmo devotees. It…
  1145. 6The Paramahamsa is seated on his wooden bedstead. Vijay, Balaram, M. and the other devotees sit facing west, towards him, some on a mat and some on th…
  1146. 7It is winter, so everyone is wrapped in warm clothes. Vijay suffers terrible pain from colic, so he has brought his medicine with him in a bottle, to…
  1147. 8Vishnu, whose home was at Ariadaha, has given up his body by putting a razor to his throat. Today it is of him that they speak first.
  1148. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay, M. and the devotees: Look, I heard that this boy has given up his body, and my mind is heavy. He used to come here; he was…
  1149. 10"Perhaps it was his last birth. He had done much of the work in his past lives. A little was left, and that little, it seems, has been done this time.
  1150. 11"One has to accept the tendencies carried over from past births. I have heard that a man was performing the sadhana on a corpse, worshipping the Divin…
  1151. 12A devotee said, "It frightens me to hear that he killed himself."
  1152. 13Sri Ramakrishna: Suicide is a great sin. One must come back to the world again and again and suffer the pains of the world.
  1153. 14"But if someone gives up the body after he has seen God, that is not called suicide. There is no fault in giving up the body like that. Some give up t…
  1154. 15"Many years ago a young lad used to come from Baranagore. He was about twenty, and his name was Gopal Sen. When he came here he would go into such ecs…
  1155. 16Chapter Two
  1156. 17Having come into this world, fleeting and joyless, worship Me. Bhagavad Gita 9.33
  1157. 18The Four Classes of Jiva: Woman and Gold, the Mark of the Bound
  1158. 19Sri Ramakrishna: It is said that jivas are of four classes: the bound, the seekers after freedom, the free and the ever-perfect. The world is like a n…
  1159. 20"The bound jiva, the worldly jiva, will by no means come to his senses. He suffers so much sorrow, so many blows, falls into so many troubles, and sti…
  1160. 21"The camel loves thorny grass. But the more it eats, the more the blood streams from its mouth; and still it will go on eating that same thorny grass…
  1161. 22"And sometimes it is like a snake that has swallowed a muskrat: it can neither swallow it nor spit it out. The bound jiva may have understood that the…
  1162. 23"I saw a relative of Keshab Sen's, fifty years old, playing cards, as if the hour for taking God's name were still to come!
  1163. 24"There is another mark of the bound jiva: if you take him out of the world and put him somewhere good, he will pine and pine away and die. The worm th…
  1164. 25Chapter Three
  1165. 26No doubt, O mighty-armed, the mind is restless and hard to hold. But by practice, O son of Kunti, and by dispassion, it is held. Bhagavad Gita 6.35
  1166. 27Intense Renunciation and the Bound Jiva
  1167. 28Vijay: What state must the mind of a bound jiva come to, for him to be free?
  1168. 29Sri Ramakrishna: If by the grace of God intense renunciation comes, one may be rid of this attachment to woman and gold. What is intense renunciation?…
  1169. 30"Listen to a story about what intense renunciation is. In a certain country there was a drought. The farmers were all cutting channels to bring water…
  1170. 31"There was another farmer who was also bringing water to his field. When his wife came and said, 'It's very late. Come home now; there's no need to ov…
  1171. 32"Without a fierce resolve, just as the water never reaches the farmer's field, so a man never attains God."
  1172. 33Chapter Four
  1173. 34As the waters enter the ocean, which is ever being filled and yet stands unmoved, so he whom all desires enter attains peace, and not he who desires d…
  1174. 35Bondage for the Sake of Woman and Gold
  1175. 36Sri Ramakrishna: You used to come so often before. Why don't you come now?
  1176. 37Vijay: I very much want to come here, but I am not free. I have taken on the work of the Brahmo Samaj.
  1177. 38Sri Ramakrishna: Woman and gold bind the jiva, and he loses his freedom. It is because of woman that gold is needed, and for gold one serves another.…
  1178. 39"At Jaipur the priests of Govindaji did not marry at first, and in those days they were full of spirit. Once the king sent for them, and they did not…
  1179. 40"'Twelve hundred shaven men and thirteen hundred shaven women, and a bare sari to bear them witness': you know that story. Virabhadra, Nityananda Gosw…
  1180. 41Worshipping Woman as the Mother After God Is Attained
  1181. 42"If once intense renunciation like this comes and God is attained, then there is no more attachment to women. Even living at home, there is no attachm…
  1182. 43A devotee: Sir, should we hate women, then?
  1183. 44Sri Ramakrishna: "He who has attained God no longer looks on woman with any other eye, such as would make him afraid. He sees truly that women are por…
  1184. 45Chapter Five
  1185. 46Only When He Has God's Command Is One a True Teacher
  1186. 47Vijay: The work of the Brahmo Samaj keeps me, so I cannot come all the time. I shall come when I can.
  1187. 48Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay: Look, the work of a teacher is very hard. Without God's direct command one cannot teach people.
  1188. 49"If you preach without His command, people will not listen. There is no power in that teaching. First one must attain God by sadhana, or by whatever m…
  1189. 50"After His command one can be a teacher anywhere and give lectures. He who receives His command receives power from Him. Then he can do this hard work…
  1190. 51"A poor tenant once went to law with a great landlord in the high court. Then people understood that some powerful man was behind the tenant: perhaps…
  1191. 52Vijay: Sir, are people not saved by the teaching given in the Brahmo Samaj?
  1192. 53Satchidananda Alone Is the Guru: He Alone Gives Liberation
  1193. 54Sri Ramakrishna: What power has man to free another from the bondage of the world? He alone whose maya this is, this maya that bewitches the world, ca…
  1194. 55"One day I was going by the Panchavati to the tamarisk grove to relieve myself. I heard a bullfrog croaking away loudly, and thought a snake must have…
  1195. 56"If the guru is a true guru, the jiva's ego is gone after three croaks. If the guru is unripe, both guru and disciple suffer! The disciple's ego never…
  1196. 57Chapter Six
  1197. 58He whose self is deluded by the ego thinks, "I am the doer." Bhagavad Gita
  1198. 59When Maya, the Covering of the Ego, Goes, There Is Liberation, the Attainment of God
  1199. 60Vijay: Sir, why are we in such bondage? Why is it that we cannot see God?
  1200. 61Sri Ramakrishna: The jiva's ego is itself maya. This ego has covered everything. "When the 'I' dies, all the clutter is cleared away." If by the grace…
  1201. 62"This maya, this ego, is like a cloud. Because of a little cloud the sun cannot be seen; the moment the cloud moves away, the sun is seen. If once, by…
  1202. 63"Sri Ramachandra, God Himself, stood only two and a half cubits off; but because Sita, who was maya, stood between, Lakshmana, who was the jiva, could…
  1203. 64"The jiva is in his own nature Satchidananda. But because of this maya, this ego, jivas have come to have all sorts of upadhis, and they have forgotte…
  1204. 65"With each upadhi that comes, a man's nature changes. Let a man wear a cloth with a black border, and you will see at once the strains of Nidhu Babu's…
  1205. 66"Money too is a remarkable upadhi. The moment a man has money he becomes quite another sort of person; he is no longer the same man.
  1206. 67"There was a brahmin who used to come here. Outwardly he was very humble. Some time later we went to Konnagar, and Hriday was with me. Just as we were…
  1207. 68"A frog had a rupee. He kept it in his hole. An elephant stepped over the hole. Then the frog came out in a great rage and lifted his foot at the elep…
  1208. 69The Seven Planes: When the Ego Goes: The State of the Knowledge of Brahman
  1209. 70"When knowledge is attained, the ego may go. When knowledge is attained one goes into samadhi, and only in samadhi does the ego go. But that knowledge…
  1210. 71"It is said in the Vedas that samadhi comes only when the mind reaches the seventh plane. Only with samadhi can the ego go. Where does the mind usuall…
  1211. 72Vijay: When one has reached there and the knowledge of Brahman comes, what does one see?
  1212. 73Sri Ramakrishna: When the mind arrives at the seventh plane, what happens cannot be put into words.
  1213. 74"Once a ship has gone out into the black waters of the ocean, it never comes back. No more news of the ship is ever had, and no news of the ocean come…
  1214. 75"A doll of salt set out to measure the ocean. But the moment it went in, it melted away! Who is to bring news of how deep the ocean is? The one who wo…
  1215. 76But the Ego Does Not Go: The Wicked "I" and the "I" of the Servant
  1216. 77"The 'I' that makes one worldly and attached to woman and gold is the bad 'I'. The jiva and the Atman have become separate because this 'I' stands bet…
  1217. 78"The ego is that stick. Take the stick away, and there is the one water as before.
  1218. 79"What is the wicked 'I'? It is the 'I' that says, 'Don't they know who I am? I have so much money; who is richer than I?' If a thief has stolen ten ru…
  1219. 80Vijay: If attachment to the world will not go and samadhi will not come unless the ego goes, then it is better to take the path of the knowledge of Br…
  1220. 81Sri Ramakrishna: In one or two people the ego does go through samadhi, but mostly it does not. Reason as much as you like, the ego comes back round ag…
  1221. 82"Jnana yoga is very hard. Knowledge does not come unless the identification with the body goes. In the Kaliyuga life depends on food, and the body-ide…
  1222. 83"It is like a line cut across a stretch of water without a bamboo being laid on it. The water seems to be in two parts, but the line does not last lon…
  1223. 84Chapter Seven
  1224. 85The difficulty is greater for those whose minds are set on the Unmanifest, for the goal of the Unmanifest is hard for embodied beings to reach. Bhagav…
  1225. 86Bhakti Yoga Is the Dharma of the Age: Jnana Yoga Is Very Hard: The "Servant I", the "Devotee's I", the "Child's I"
  1226. 87Vijay, to Sri Ramakrishna: Sir, you tell us to give up the "wicked I". Is there no harm in the "servant I"?
  1227. 88Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, the "servant I", that is, the feeling "I am a servant of God, I am His devotee". There is no harm in it; rather, by it God is at…
  1228. 89Vijay: Well, then, what about lust and anger in one who has the "servant I"?
  1229. 90Sri Ramakrishna: If the feeling is genuine, only the outward form of lust and anger remains. If, after attaining God, the "servant I" or the "devotee'…
  1230. 91"When the branch of a coconut palm dries up and falls off, only a mark is left. From that mark one can tell that a branch of the palm was once there.…
  1231. 92"Some keep the 'devotee's I', the 'servant I', even after samadhi. 'You the Master and I the servant'; 'I the devotee, You are God': the devotee keeps…
  1232. 93"If you follow the path of devotion, the knowledge of Brahman comes. God is almighty; if He wills, He can give the knowledge of Brahman as well. But d…
  1233. 94Vijay: But those who reason by Vedanta attain Him too, don't they?
  1234. 95Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, He can be attained by the path of reasoning too. That is what is called jnana yoga. The path of reasoning is very hard. I have s…
  1235. 96"'I don't want to become sugar; I love to eat sugar.' I never feel any wish to say, 'I am Brahman.' I say, 'You are God, and I am Your servant.' It is…
  1236. 97The Two Kinds of Devotion: The Best Aspirant: The Way to See God
  1237. 98"But God is not attained just by practising devotion any way at all. Unless there is loving devotion, God is not attained. Another name for loving dev…
  1238. 99"There is another kind of devotion. It is called vaidhi bhakti, devotion by rule. So much japa must be done, fasts kept, pilgrimages made, worship off…
  1239. 100"But in some, raga bhakti comes of itself. It is innate. It is there from childhood; from childhood they weep for God, as Prahlada did. Devotion by ru…
  1240. 101"So long as love for Him has not been born, devotion is unripe devotion. When love for Him comes, that devotion is called ripe devotion.
  1241. 102"One whose devotion is unripe cannot hold on to the words of God, to spiritual teaching. When devotion is ripe, one can hold on to them. If a photogra…
  1242. 103Vijay: Sir, to attain God, to see Him, is devotion enough?
  1243. 104Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, it is by devotion alone that He is seen; but it must be ripe devotion, loving devotion, raga bhakti. When that devotion comes, l…
  1244. 105"When this love, this raga bhakti, comes, the pull of maya towards wife and children, kin and relations, is gone. Kindness remains. The world feels li…
  1245. 106"If there is the least trace of the worldly mind, He is not seen. If a matchstick is damp, strike it a thousand times, it will never light; you only w…
  1246. 107"When Srimati, Radha, said, 'I see everything full of Krishna,' her companions said, 'But we can't see Him at all. Are you raving?' Srimati said, 'Fri…
  1247. 108Lord, without love, though one performs sacrifice and rite, can You be known?
  1248. 109"If once this passionate attachment, this love, this ripe devotion, this affection comes, then God is seen both with form and without form."
  1249. 110Seeing God: It Cannot Be Without His Grace
  1250. 111Vijay: How does one see God?
  1251. 112Sri Ramakrishna: Not without purity of heart. The mind is soiled with woman and gold; dirt has settled on it. A needle covered with mud is not drawn b…
  1252. 113"But try as you may a thousand times, nothing comes of it without His grace. Without His grace He is not seen. And does grace come easily? The ego mus…
  1253. 114"Only by grace is He seen. He is the Sun of Knowledge. By one ray of His the light of knowledge has fallen on this world, and so we are able to know o…
  1254. 115"If anyone wants to see the sergeant, he must pray to him. He must say, 'Sir, please turn the light once upon your own face, that I may see you.'
  1255. 116"One must pray to God: 'Lord, of Your mercy hold the light of knowledge once upon Yourself, so that I may see You.'
  1256. 117"If no lamp is lit in a house, that is a sign of poverty. The light of knowledge has to be kindled within the heart. 'Light the lamp of knowledge in y…
  1257. 118Vijay had brought his medicine with him, and was to take it in the Master's presence. The medicine had to be taken with water, and the Master had wate…
  1258. 119The boat reached the Annapurna ghat at Baghbazar. By the time they came to Balaram's house in Baghbazar the moon had risen a little. It was the fourth…
  1259. 1Chapter Eight
  1260. 2With Baburam and Others: On Free Will: Totapuri's Resolve to Take His Own Life
  1261. 3It is afternoon at the Dakshineswar temple, and Sri Ramakrishna sits talking on the west verandah of his own room, with Baburam, M., Ramdayal and some…
  1262. 4Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: When one knows that God is doing everything, one is free while living. Keshab Sen came here with Sambhu Mallick, and…
  1263. 5Songs are being sung in the Master's room. The devotees are singing:
  1264. 6(1) O Lord of Lakshmi, if You will dwell in the Vrindavan of my heart, O lover of devotion, my devotion will be the chaste Radha. My longing for freed…
  1265. 7(2) O bird in my heart's cage, sing! Sit, O bird, beneath Brahman, the tree that grants every wish, and sing the Lord's glories (sing, sing); and eat…
  1266. 8The late Srinath Mitra of Nandanbagan has come with his friends. Seeing him, the Master says, "Here is one through whose eyes everything within can be…
  1267. 9After nightfall the arati began in the temple. Sitting on the small cot in his room, the Master was thinking of God. Little by little he passed into e…
  1268. 10Is the Master speaking of Baburam in his ecstasy? Baburam, M., Ramdayal and the others are sitting there. It is about eight or nine at night. The Mast…
  1269. 11Vidyasagar and Genghis Khan: Is God Pitiless? The Answer of Sri Ramakrishna
  1270. 12They are talking of happiness and suffering. Why has God made so much suffering?
  1271. 13M.: Vidyasagar says, piqued, "What need is there to call on God? Look: when Genghis Khan began his plundering he took a great many people captive, unt…
  1272. 14Sri Ramakrishna: Can anyone understand the work of God, or with what purpose He does what He does? He creates, He preserves, He destroys. Can we know…
  1273. 15Tonight Baburam, M. and Ramdayal lay down to sleep on the floor of the Master's room.
  1274. 16It is the depth of the night, about two or three o'clock. The light in the Master's room has gone out. He is sitting up on his bed, talking now and th…
  1275. 17Sri Ramakrishna with Baburam, M. and Others: Of Compassion and Maya: Severe Discipline and the Vision of God
  1276. 18Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and other devotees: See, compassion and maya are two separate things. Maya means attachment to one's own people: the love one b…
  1277. 19"Without purity of heart God is not seen. Only when one has conquered lust, anger and greed does His grace come, and then one sees Him. I am telling y…
  1278. 20The next day Baburam and Ramdayal went home. M. spent that day and night with the Master, and today he took his meal of prasad at the temple.
  1279. 21Chapter Nine
  1280. 22Sri Ramakrishna with Marwari Devotees at Dakshineswar
  1281. 23It is afternoon. M. and one or two devotees are sitting there. Some Marwari devotees have come and bowed down. They do business in Calcutta. They say…
  1282. 24Sri Ramakrishna, to the Marwari devotees: Look, "I" and "mine": these two are ignorance. "O God, You are the doer, and all this is Yours": that is kno…
  1283. 25"You are in business, so you know that one must get on step by step. One man starts with a castor-oil mill, and when he has made more money he sets up…
  1284. 26"But do you know? Nothing comes about until its time has come. In some, a great deal of the karma of enjoyment is still left over, and so for them it…
  1285. 27The Marwari Devotees and Lying in Business: Chanting the Name of Rama
  1286. 28Now and then the Marwari devotees bring sweets and other things for the Master: fruits, plates of rock candy and such. The rock candy smells of rose w…
  1287. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Look, in business one cannot hold firmly to the truth. In business there are rises and falls. There is a story of Nanak in which he s…
  1288. 30"One must always repeat His name. While working, one must leave the mind with Him: just as I have a boil on my back: I am doing all my work, but my mi…
  1289. 31"He is that Rama, Dasaratha's son; He is that Rama, spread out as the world; He is that Rama, lying in every heart; He is that Rama, apart from all."
  1290. 32This Self is won by truth, by austerity, by right knowledge and by a life of constant chastity. Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.5 Truth alone triumphs, not untr…
  1291. 1January 1883
  1292. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Temple at Dakshineswar among Rakhal, Prankrishna, Kedar and Other Devotees
  1293. 3Chapter One
  1294. 4Prankrishna at Dakshineswar with M. and Others
  1295. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in that same room at the Kali temple, the room we already know. Day and night he is drunk with love of Ha…
  1296. 6A mat is spread on the floor, and he has come and sat down on it. Prankrishna and M. sit facing him, and Rakhal is also in the room. Outside, Hazra si…
  1297. 7It is winter, the month of Paush, and the Master has a moleskin wrapper about him. It is Monday, eight in the morning, the dark eighth of Agrahayan: t…
  1298. 8By now most of the intimate devotees have come and joined the Master. For a year or so they have been constantly coming and going: Narendra and Rakhal…
  1299. 9It is about five months since Sri Ramakrishna graced Vidyasagar's house in Badurbagan with a visit. Two months ago he went to Calcutta with Keshab Sen…
  1300. 10Prankrishna Mukherji lives in the Syampukur quarter of Calcutta. His people come from the village of Janai. He is the head clerk of the Exchange and o…
  1301. 11The Master is sitting on the floor. Near him is a basket of jilipi that some devotee has brought. He broke off a little piece and ate it.
  1302. 12Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Prankrishna and the others: "You see, because I take the Mother's name I get all these things to eat!" There was laughter…
  1303. 13"But She does not give gourds and pumpkins as Her fruit. She gives the fruit of immortality: knowledge, love, discrimination, renunciation."
  1304. 14A boy of six or seven came into the room. Sri Ramakrishna was in the state of a child. Just as one child hides his food from another for fear the othe…
  1305. 15Prankrishna is a householder, yet he studies Vedanta. "Brahman is real," he says, "the world is unreal; I am He: So'ham." The Master says to him, "In…
  1306. 16"He is a thing of bhava; without bhava, in its absence, who can lay hold of Him?"
  1307. 17Covering the sweets with his hand, hiding them like a child, the Master went into samadhi.
  1308. 18Chapter Two
  1309. 19The Realm of Bhava and the Vision of Forms
  1310. 20The Master is in samadhi. For a long while he sits there lost in ecstasy. The body does not stir, the eyes do not blink, and one cannot tell whether h…
  1311. 21After a long time he heaved a deep breath, as if he were coming back once more into the kingdom of the senses.
  1312. 22Sri Ramakrishna, to Prankrishna: He is not only without form; He has form as well. His form can be seen. Through bhava and devotion that form of His,…
  1313. 23The Vision of Gauranga: The Mother in the Guise of Rati's Mother
  1314. 24"Yesterday I saw the Mother. She wore an ochre tunic without stitching at the hem. She was talking with me.
  1315. 25"Another day She came to me as a Muslim girl. She had a tilak on Her forehead, but She was naked. A girl of six or seven, She began walking about with…
  1316. 26"While I was living in Hriday's house, Gauranga appeared to me, in a cloth with a black border.
  1317. 27"Haladhari would say He is beyond bhava and its absence. I went and said to the Mother, 'Mother, this is what Haladhari says. Are forms and the like a…
  1318. 28"Now and then I forget those words, and then I suffer. Because I did not stay in bhava, my tooth got broken. So unless I hear a divine voice or have a…
  1319. 29Prankrishna: Yes, sir.
  1320. 30Why an Incarnation Holds to Devotion: The Will of Rama
  1321. 31Sri Ramakrishna: But why should I ask you, anyway? There is someone inside this. It is He who makes me act like this. At times a divine mood would com…
  1322. 32"I am the machine; He is the one who works it. As He makes me act, so I act; as He makes me speak, so I speak.
  1323. 33"Says Prasad: on the sea of the world I sit with my raft afloat. When the tide comes in I shall go upstream; when it ebbs, with the ebb I shall go."
  1324. 34"A used leaf plate, caught by the storm, sometimes flies off and lands in a good place, and sometimes the wind drops it into a drain. It goes wherever…
  1325. 35"The weaver said, 'By Rama's will the robbery took place; by Rama's will the police arrested me; and by Rama's will they let me go again.'
  1326. 36"Hanuman said, 'O Rama, I take refuge in You, I take refuge in You. Give me Your blessing: may I have pure devotion at Your lotus feet, and may Your m…
  1327. 37"A dying bullfrog said, 'Rama, when a snake seizes me I cry out, "Rama, save me!" But now I am dying pierced by Rama's own bow, and so I keep quiet.'
  1328. 38"In the old days I saw Him face to face, with these eyes, as I see you now. Now I have visions in the state of bhava.
  1329. 39"When God is attained, a man's nature becomes a child's. Whatever one thinks on, one comes to share its being. God's nature is like a child's. As a ch…
  1330. 40"That is why paramahamsas keep a few children about them: to take on their nature."
  1331. 41A young man of twenty or twenty-two has come from Agarpara. Each time he visits he beckons the Master aside to some lonely spot and tells him in whisp…
  1332. 42The Attitude of a Woman and the Conquest of Lust: Guilelessness and the Realization of God
  1333. 43Sri Ramakrishna, to the young man: When a man takes on a mood, his nature changes. If he takes on the attitude of a woman, little by little lust and t…
  1334. 44"Come one day on a Saturday or a Tuesday."
  1335. 45To Prankrishna: Brahman and Sakti are not different. If you do not accept Sakti, the world becomes unreal: you and I, house and home, family, all unre…
  1336. 46"Unless worldly-mindedness is given up, there is no awakening of spirit at all, no realization of God; and as long as it remains, there is deceit. Unl…
  1337. 47"Have such devotion within your heart: give up deceit and cunning. Through service, worship and humility Raghurai is easily found."
  1338. 48"Those who do worldly work, an office job or business, should also hold to truth. Truthfulness is the tapasya of the Kaliyuga."
  1339. 49Prankrishna: "In this religion, O Great Goddess, one should be truthful, the master of his senses, devoted to the good of others, unperturbed and of n…
  1340. 50"So it is in the Mahanirvana Tantra."
  1341. 51Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, one has to take those things to heart.
  1342. 52Chapter Three
  1343. 53Sri Ramakrishna in the Mood of Yasoda, and His Samadhi
  1344. 54The Master has gone to the small cot and taken his own seat there. He is always full of bhava. With the eye of bhava he is gazing at Rakhal. As he gaz…
  1345. 55As he gazed, the Master went into samadhi once again. The devotees in the room, astonished and silent, are watching this wondrous state of ecstasy.
  1346. 56Coming back a little to himself, he says: Why should the sight of Rakhal awaken this in me? The further one goes, the less of God's majesty there is.…
  1347. 57The State of Knowledge of Brahman Itself after Samadhi: Reasoning and the Giving Up of Attachment
  1348. 58"When He is attained, when one is merged in Him in samadhi, reasoning about knowledge comes to an end.
  1349. 59"How long does reasoning go on? As long as one feels the many:
  1350. 60"As long as one is aware of the jiva, the world, I and you. When one truly knows the One, one falls silent, like Trailanga Swami.
  1351. 61"Have you never seen brahmins being fed? To begin with there is a tremendous din. As stomachs fill, the din dies down. When the curd and sweets are se…
  1352. 62To M. and Prankrishna: "Many talk of the knowledge of Brahman, but they are busy with lower things: house and home, money, honour, the pleasures of th…
  1353. 63"Once the knowledge of Brahman comes, it all falls away: clinging to the world, zest for woman and gold. Everything becomes peace. When wood burns the…
  1354. 64"The nearer you draw to God, the greater the peace. Shantih, shantih, shantih, prashantih. The nearer you go to the Ganges, the cooler you feel; and i…
  1355. 65"But the jiva, the world, the twenty-four cosmic principles, all these exist because He exists. Take Him away and nothing is left. Put many zeros afte…
  1356. 66Is the Master now hinting at his own state, out of grace to Prankrishna?
  1357. 67The Master says:
  1358. 68The Master's State: The "I of Devotion" after the Knowledge of Brahman
  1359. 69"After the knowledge of Brahman, after samadhi, some come down again and keep the 'I of knowledge' or else the 'I of devotion.' When the market is ove…
  1360. 70"If there is the least attachment, He cannot be reached. If the thread has even a single fibre sticking out, it will not pass through the eye of the n…
  1361. 71"In one who has realized God, lust, anger and the rest are there in name only, like a burnt rope. It keeps the shape of a rope, but blow on it and it…
  1362. 72"As soon as the mind is free of attachment, one sees Him. Whatever rises in the pure mind is His word. What the pure mind is, the pure buddhi also is,…
  1363. 73"And when one has attained Him, one goes beyond both merit and demerit."
  1364. 74With these words the Master, in that voice which the gods themselves seldom hear, began a song of Ramprasad:
  1365. 75Come, O mind, come out walking. Under Kali, the tree that grants every wish, you will gather the four fruits. Of your two wives, Pravritti and Nivritt…
  1366. 76Chapter Four
  1367. 77Sri Ramakrishna in the Mood of Radha
  1368. 78The Master has come out and sat on the south-east verandah. Prankrishna and the other devotees have come with him. Hazra is sitting on the verandah. L…
  1369. 79"Hazra is no small fry. If this place is the big shrine, then Hazra is the little one." Everyone laughed.
  1370. 80Navakumar came and stood at the door of the verandah. As soon as he saw the devotees he went away. The Master said, "The very image of egotism!"
  1371. 81It is half past nine. Prankrishna bowed down and took his leave; he is going back to his house in Calcutta.
  1372. 82A Vaishnava mendicant is singing in the Master's room to the gopiyantra:
  1373. 83Song: Nityananda's ship has come. If you want to cross, come and lay hold of it. Six white sailors of a man-of-war stand guard at all times, with shie…
  1374. 84Song: Thatch your house now, while there is time. The rains are heavy this year; be on your guard; drink ginger and water and set to work. When the mo…
  1375. 85Song: Whose love brought You to Nadia, dressed as a beggar? Being Hari, You cry "Hari!" Whose mood is it You have taken on, with such a nature? I cann…
  1376. 86The Master is listening to the songs when Sri Kedar Chatterji comes in and bows down. He has come in his office clothes: a long coat, a watch and a wa…
  1377. 87At the sight of Kedar the whole divine play of Vrindavan came alive at once in the Master's mind. Drunk with love, he stood up and, addressing Kedar,…
  1378. 88Tell me, friend, how far off is the grove where my Syamasundar waits? I cannot walk any further.
  1379. 89Singing in the mood of Radha, the Master is in samadhi. He stands there like a figure in a painting. Only from the two corners of his eyes are tears o…
  1380. 90Kedar has prostrated himself on the ground. Touching the Master's feet, he is reciting a hymn:
  1381. 91I praise Brahman, Pure Consciousness, who dwells in the lotus of the heart, without attributes and without desire, whom Hari, Hara and Brahma know, wh…
  1382. 92After a while Sri Ramakrishna is coming back to his normal state. Kedar is on his way from his home in Halisahar to his place of work in Calcutta, and…
  1383. 93As he talked with the devotees in this way, the morning wore on to almost noon. Sri Ramlal brought a plate of Mother Kali's prasad for the Master. In…
  1384. 94After the meal the Master is resting a little on the small cot. After a while the Marwari devotees came.
  1385. 95Chapter Five
  1386. 96The Yoga of Practice: Two Paths, Discrimination and Devotion
  1387. 97It is three in the afternoon. The Marwari devotees, sitting on the floor, are putting questions to the Master. M., Rakhal and other devotees are in th…
  1388. 98A Marwari devotee: Maharaj, what is the way?
  1389. 99Sri Ramakrishna: There are two: the way of discrimination, and the way of love, which is devotion.
  1390. 100"Sifting the real from the unreal: the one Real, the Real that is eternal, is God; everything else is unreal, passing. The conjurer is true and his co…
  1391. 101"Discrimination and dispassion. This sifting of the real from the unreal is called viveka. Vairagya means distaste for the things of the world. It doe…
  1392. 102"Through the yoga of practice one can give up attachment to woman and gold. The Gita says so. By practice an extraordinary strength comes into the min…
  1393. 103The Marwari devotee: Maharaj, you spoke of two paths. What is the other one?
  1394. 104Sri Ramakrishna: The path of love, of devotion. Weep for Him once with longing, alone, in secret: "Reveal Yourself to me!"
  1395. 105"Call on Her, mind, as one should call! Then how can Syama keep away?"
  1396. 106The Marwari devotee: Maharaj, what is the meaning of worshipping God with form? And what do formless and without attributes mean?
  1397. 107Sri Ramakrishna: Just as the sight of a father's photograph reminds you of the father, so through worshipping the image the form of the Reality is awa…
  1398. 108"Do you know what the forms are like? They are like bubbles rising up out of a great expanse of water. Out of the Great Space, the Space of Consciousn…
  1399. 109Learning: Who Am I? I Am Thou
  1400. 110"What is there in book-learning? He is reached by calling on Him with longing. There is no need to know a great many things.
  1401. 111"It is the teacher who needs to know this and that. To kill others you need sword and shield; to kill yourself a needle or a nail-parer is enough.
  1402. 112"If you set out to find who this 'I' is, it is Him you find. Am I the flesh? The bones? The blood? The marrow? The mind? The intellect? At last, by di…
  1403. 113"But according to bhakti He has attributes. Syam is Spirit, His abode is Spirit; everything is Spirit."
  1404. 114The Marwari devotees bowed down and took their leave.
  1405. 115Evening and the Arati at Dakshineswar
  1406. 116It is evening. The Master is gazing at the Ganges. The lamp has been lit in the room. Sri Ramakrishna is repeating the name of the World-Mother and, s…
  1407. 117Now the arati is going on in the temples. Those who are still strolling on the embankment or in the Panchavati hear from far off the sweet ringing of…
  1408. 1February 1883
  1409. 2At the Late Govinda Mukherji's House in the Village of Belgharia: Sri Ramakrishna Rejoicing in Kirtan with Narendra and Other Devotees
  1410. 3Chapter One
  1411. 4Sri Ramakrishna has graced the house of Govinda Mukherji at Belgharia with his presence. Today is Sunday, the eighteenth of February, 1883, the bright…
  1412. 5Teaching to the People of Belgharia: Why Bow Down, Why the Path of Devotion
  1413. 6The kirtan over, everyone has sat down. Many are bowing to the Master. Every now and then the Master says, "Bow down to God." And again he says, "It i…
  1414. 7A neighbour: Sir, what is the teaching of Vedanta?
  1415. 8Sri Ramakrishna: The Vedantists say "So'ham, I am He": Brahman is real, the world false; the "I" too is false. Only the Supreme Brahman exists.
  1416. 9"But the 'I' won't go. So 'I am His servant, I am His child, I am His devotee': this pride is very good.
  1417. 10"In the Kaliyuga the path of devotion is best. Through devotion too He can be reached. As long as there is body-consciousness, there is the mind set o…
  1418. 11"Those who have renounced have less of the mind set on objects; worldly people are always taken up with thinking of worldly things. So for the man of…
  1419. 12The People of Belgharia and the Doctrine of Sin
  1420. 13A neighbour: We are sinners. What is to become of us?
  1421. 14Sri Ramakrishna: Sing His name and His glories, and every sin in the body takes flight. Sins are birds perched in the tree of the body, and chanting H…
  1422. 15"And see: the water of a pond in an open field dries up of itself in the heat of the sun. So, when you sing His name and glories, the water of the pon…
  1423. 16"You have to practise every day. At the circus I watched a horse galloping and a lady standing on its back on one foot. How much practice that must ha…
  1424. 17"And weep to see Him, at least once a day.
  1425. 18"These are the two means: practice, and love, that is, a yearning to see Him."
  1426. 19The goal of the Unmanifest is hard for embodied beings to reach. Bhagavad Gita
  1427. 20... Take refuge in Me alone; I shall free you from all sins. Bhagavad Gita
  1428. 21A Song of the Six Centres by a Man of Belgharia, and the Samadhi of Sri Ramakrishna
  1429. 22The Master is taking prasad with the devotees on the verandah of the upstairs room of the parlour house. It is one in the afternoon. The meal is not y…
  1430. 23Awake, awake, O Mother! How long, Kulakundalini, have You lain asleep in the Muladhara?
  1431. 24Hearing the song, the Master went into samadhi. His whole body was still; his hand stayed where it had been, over the plate of prasad, as if in a pain…
  1432. 25A devotee is taking him down with great care.
  1433. 26It was in this courtyard that the singing of the Name had taken place that morning, with the Master dancing in the joy of love. The carpet and the sea…
  1434. 27The singer is singing again:
  1435. 28Awake, awake, O Mother! How long, Kulakundalini, have You lain asleep in the Muladhara? To do Your own work, Mother, rise to the crown of the head, wh…
  1436. 29As he listens, the Master passes into ecstasy again.
  1437. 1Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Temple at Dakshineswar and in Balaram's House
  1438. 2Chapter Two
  1439. 3Sri Ramakrishna in the Temple at Dakshineswar with Rakhal, Ram, Nityagopal, Chaudhuri and Other Devotees
  1440. 4Sadhana in Solitude: Philosophy: The Vision of God
  1441. 5After his midday meal Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in that room we already know. Today is the twenty-fifth of February, 1883.
  1442. 6These days Rakhal, Harish, Latu and Hazra live at all times in the shelter of the Master's feet. Ram, Kedar, Nityagopal, M. and other devotees have co…
  1443. 7Chaudhuri has lately lost his wife. For his peace of mind he has come to see the Master several times. He has passed four university examinations and…
  1444. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram and others: Rakhal, Narendra and Bhavanath belong to the ever-perfect. Spirit is awake in them from birth. They have taken a b…
  1445. 9"There is another class, those made perfect by grace. Suddenly His grace comes, and at once there is vision and knowledge. Think of a room left in dar…
  1446. 10"Those who live in the world have to practise sadhana. They must go into solitude and call on Him with longing.
  1447. 11To Chaudhuri: "He is not to be reached by scholarship.
  1448. 12"And who can understand Him by reasoning? Everyone should do whatever brings devotion to His lotus feet."
  1449. 13Bhishma Weeps: Victory and Defeat: Divine Sight and the Gita
  1450. 14"His splendour is infinite. How can you understand it? How can you understand what He does?
  1451. 15"Bhishma was himself one of the eight Vasus, and yet, lying on his bed of arrows, he began to weep. He said, 'How strange! The Lord Himself is ever at…
  1452. 16"Someone thinks he has done a little spiritual practice, that he has won. But winning and losing are in His hands. Here a prostitute died on the bank…
  1453. 17Chaudhuri: How can one see Him?
  1454. 18Sri Ramakrishna: He is not seen with these eyes. He gives divine sight, and then He is seen. When Arjuna was to see the Universal Form, the Lord gave…
  1455. 19"Your philosophy only does sums and keeps accounts! It only reasons! He is not reached that way."
  1456. 20Devotion without Motive: The Root of the Matter: Devotion That Follows Love
  1457. 21"If there is devotion born of love, devotion with ardour, then He cannot stay still.
  1458. 22"How dear devotion is to Him: as dear as fodder mixed with oil-cake is to a cow. She gulps it down.
  1459. 23"Devotion born of love, pure devotion, devotion without motive: Prahlada's, for instance.
  1460. 24"You ask nothing of a rich man, and yet you go to him every day; you like to see him. If he asks you, you say, 'Sir, I want nothing; I have come to se…
  1461. 25Saying this, the Master sings:
  1462. 26I am not loth to give liberation, but I am loth to give pure devotion.
  1463. 27"The root of the matter is devotion to God, the devotion that follows love. And discrimination and dispassion."
  1464. 28Chaudhuri: Sir, will nothing come of it without a guru?
  1465. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Satchidananda Himself is the guru.
  1466. 30"When one practises the sadhana on a corpse, at the moment of seeing the Chosen Ideal, the guru appears before one and says, 'Look, there is your Idea…
  1467. 31"People keep the vow of Ananta, but it is Vishnu they worship. All God's endless forms are within Him!"
  1468. 32Sri Ramakrishna's Harmony of All Religions
  1469. 33To Ram and others: "Suppose you ask which form you should think on: meditate on whichever form you like. But know that all are one.
  1470. 34"One must not bear ill will to anyone. Siva, Kali, Hari: all are different forms of the One. Blessed is he who has made them one.
  1471. 35"A Saiva outside, Kali in the heart, Hari's name on the lips.
  1472. 36"Without a little lust and anger and the like, the body does not last. So try only to lessen them."
  1473. 37Seeing Kedar, the Master says:
  1474. 38"He is good. He accepts the Eternal, and he accepts the play of God as well. And then, on this side, he accepts even the play of the gods and the play…
  1475. 39Kedar says that the Master has come down in a human body.
  1476. 40The Sannyasi and Woman: The Devout Woman
  1477. 41Seeing Nityagopal, the Master says to the devotees:
  1478. 42"He is in a very good state!"
  1479. 43To Nityagopal: "Don't go there too often. Once in a while, yes. Devout she may be, but she is a woman after all. So be careful.
  1480. 44"The rule for a sannyasi is very hard. He may not so much as look at a picture of a woman. This is not for people in the world.
  1481. 45"Even if a woman is very devout, he should not mix with her. Even though he has mastered his senses, the man of renunciation must keep to all this, to…
  1482. 46"When others see a holy man's renunciation complete, sixteen annas to the rupee, they will learn to renounce. Otherwise they too will fall. The sannya…
  1483. 47Now the Master and the devotees get up and walk about. M. is standing in front of the picture of Prahlada, looking at it. Prahlada's devotion was with…
  1484. 1March 1883
  1485. 2Chapter One
  1486. 3The Master at Dakshineswar with the Devotees on the Day of the New Moon: His Gopala Mood towards Rakhal
  1487. 4In his own room in the Dakshineswar temple Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with one or two devotees, Rakhal, M. and others. Today is Friday, the twenty-six…
  1488. 5This being the new-moon day, the World-Mother keeps rising up in the Master's mind. He says: God alone is real; all else is unreal. The Mother has kep…
  1489. 6"You see, nobody seeks Him. People leave the fruit of the pineapple plant and eat its leaves."
  1490. 7A devotee: Sir, why does He keep us in the world?
  1491. 8What Is the World For? For Purity of Heart through Selfless Work
  1492. 9Sri Ramakrishna: The world is a field of action; only by going on with work does knowledge come. The guru has said: do these things, and do not do tho…
  1493. 10"Why does He not release us from the world? When the illness is cured, then He will release us. When the desire to enjoy woman and gold has gone, then…
  1494. 11These days the Master is always steeped in tender love, like Yasoda's for her child, and so he keeps Rakhal near him. Towards Rakhal he has the mood o…
  1495. 12Sri Ramakrishna Watches the Tidal Bore in the Ganges with the Devotees
  1496. 13The Master is sitting like this when someone comes with the news that the bore is coming in. The Master, Rakhal, M. and the others all begin to run to…
  1497. 14Now the Master sat down with M., Rakhal and the others on the path of the Panchavati.
  1498. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Well, how does the bore come about?
  1499. 16To work alone you have a right, never to its fruits. Bhagavad Gita 2.47
  1500. 17Drawing lines on the ground, M. tries to explain the earth, the moon and the sun, gravitation, flood-tide and ebb, the full moon, the new moon, eclips…
  1501. 18Sri Ramakrishna as a Boy and at the Village School: The Yogi is beyond all finite relations of number, quantity, cause, effect.
  1502. 19Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Oh dear! I can't follow it; my head is spinning! It aches! Well, how did they come to know of things so far away?
  1503. 20"You see, as a boy I could paint pictures quite well, but the arithmetic of Subhankar's rules used to baffle me. Reckoning and sums I could not manage…
  1504. 21Now the Master has come back to his own room. Looking at a picture of Yasoda hanging on the wall, he says, "The picture is not good. It's as if they h…
  1505. 22Adhar Sen's First Visit, and of Animal Sacrifice
  1506. 23Midday. After his meal the Master has rested a little. Adhar and other devotees have gradually come and gathered. This is the first time Adhar Sen is…
  1507. 24States of Mind, and Not Harming Life
  1508. 25Adhar, to Sri Ramakrishna: Sir, there is something I would ask. Is it good to offer animal sacrifice? It means killing living creatures, doesn't it?
  1509. 26Sri Ramakrishna: The scriptures say that in particular states one may offer a sacrifice. There is no harm in a sacrifice that the scriptures enjoin, f…
  1510. 27"And again a state comes when I see that God is in every being, that He is in the ant too. In that state, if some creature suddenly dies, there is thi…
  1511. 28Teaching to Adhar: "Don't Reason Too Much"
  1512. 29"Too much reasoning does no good. Devotion to the Mother's lotus feet is all that is needed. If you reason a great deal, everything becomes muddled. I…
  1513. 30A devotee: How is God to be realized?
  1514. 31Sri Ramakrishna: Through that very devotion. But one has to use force with Him: If You won't show Yourself to me, I'll put a knife to my throat. This…
  1515. 32A devotee: Can God be seen?
  1516. 33Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, certainly He can be seen. He can be seen both without form and with form. One has the vision of His form made of Spirit. And aga…
  1517. 34When the body is slain, It is not slain. Bhagavad Gita 2.20
  1518. 35For the establishing of dharma I am born in every age. Bhagavad Gita 4.8
  1519. 1Chapter Two
  1520. 2The Birthday Festival of Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar
  1521. 3In the Morning with the Devotees
  1522. 4Today the birthday festival of Sri Ramakrishna is being held at the Kali temple: Sunday, the bright second of Phalgun, the eleventh of March, 1883. To…
  1523. 5From daybreak the devotees have been arriving one by one. In front stands the temple of Mother Bhavatarini. Right after the morning arati the shehnai…
  1524. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "So you have come." Then, to the devotees: "Shame, hatred and fear: none of the three should remain. There will be such joy to…
  1525. 7Bhavanath and Kalikrishna sing:
  1526. 8Blessed, blessed, thrice blessed is this joyful day, when we join to spread Your true religion through India. Your dwelling is in every heart; Your ho…
  1527. 9The Master sits with palms joined, listening with his whole mind. As he listens, his mind passes altogether into the realm of bhava. The Master's mind…
  1528. 10Hari's Name First, or the Teaching of Working Men?
  1529. 11Kalikrishna bowed to the Master and got up. The Master asked in surprise, "Where are you going?"
  1530. 12Bhavanath: Sir, he has a little business to attend to, so he must go.
  1531. 13Sri Ramakrishna: What business?
  1532. 14Bhavanath: "Sir, he will go to the Baranagore Workingmen's Institute." Kalikrishna left.
  1533. 15Sri Ramakrishna: It is not in his luck. Don't you see how much joy there will be today in the name of Hari? It is not in his luck!
  1534. 16Chapter Three
  1535. 17With the Devotees at the Birthday Festival: The Hard Rule of the Sannyasi
  1536. 18It is about half past eight or nine. Today the Master did not go down into the Ganges to bathe, for he was not very well. Water for his bath was broug…
  1537. 19His bath over, he repeats God's name in a sweet voice. Wearing a clean cloth, he walks with one or two devotees, facing south, across the paved courty…
  1538. 20Going into the temple of Mother Kali, he bowed down and worshipped. His worship keeps no rule: now he lays sandal paste and flowers at the Mother's fe…
  1539. 21He is coming back towards his room along the path of the paved courtyard, with M. and Bhavanath. Bhavanath has the coconut in his hand. On the right o…
  1540. 22Now the Master has reached his room. He found that more devotees had come: Ram, Nityagopal, Kedar Chatterji and many others. They all prostrated thems…
  1541. 23Seeing Nityagopal, the Master says, "Will you eat something?" The young devotee is in a childlike state at this time. He is unmarried, perhaps twenty-…
  1542. 24The young man said, "I'll eat." He spoke just like a child.
  1543. 25Teaching to Nityagopal: For the Man of Renunciation the Company of Women Is Altogether Forbidden
  1544. 26When he had eaten, the Master took him to the round verandah on the west side of the room, over the Ganges, and began to talk with him.
  1545. 27A woman of great devotion, about thirty-one or thirty-two, often comes to Sri Ramakrishna and has the deepest reverence for him. Seeing this young dev…
  1546. 28Sri Ramakrishna, to the young devotee: Do you go there?
  1547. 29Nityagopal, like a child: Yes, I go. She takes me.
  1548. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Look out, holy man! Go once in a while; don't go often, or you will fall! Woman and gold, that is maya. A holy man must keep far away…
  1549. 31The young devotee heard it all.
  1550. 32M., to himself: Wonderful! This young devotee is in the paramahamsa state, as the Master says now and then. Even in so high a state, he may still come…
  1551. 33Chapter Four
  1552. 34God with Form and Formless: Sri Ramakrishna Enters Samadhi at Rama's Name
  1553. 35Sri Ramakrishna and the devotees have now come out onto the north-east verandah of his room. Among the devotees sits a householder from Dakshineswar w…
  1554. 36Sri Ramakrishna and the Doctrine of Incarnation: Sri Ramakrishna and the Harmony of All Religions
  1555. 37The man from Dakshineswar: This unstruck sound is going on all the time, within and without.
  1556. 38Sri Ramakrishna: The sound alone will not do; there is something the sound points to. Does your name alone make me happy? Unless I see you, my joy is…
  1557. 39The man from Dakshineswar: That sound itself is Brahman, that unstruck sound.
  1558. 40Sri Ramakrishna, to Kedar: Oh, you see! His view is the rishis' view. The rishis said to Ramachandra, "O Rama, we know You are Dasaratha's son. Let Bh…
  1559. 41Kedar: The rishis did not know Rama for an Incarnation. They were fools.
  1560. 42Sri Ramakrishna, gravely: "Don't say such a thing! Each has his own taste, and each his own digestion. A mother brings home a fish and cooks it in dif…
  1561. 43"The rishis were jnanis, and so they sought the Indivisible Satchidananda. But the devotees want the Incarnation, to taste devotion. When one sees Him…
  1562. 44Sri Ramakrishna is standing as he says this to the devotees. As he speaks, his mind leaves the outer world altogether and turns within. Hardly has he…
  1563. 45The Master is in the shrine of samadhi. How Sri Ramakrishna's heart-lotus has blossomed at the sight of God! He stands as he was, but unconscious of t…
  1564. 46After a long while the samadhi ended.
  1565. 47With a deep breath the Master repeats the name "Rama" again and again. Nectar seems to drip from every syllable of the name. The Master sat down. The…
  1566. 48Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: When an Incarnation comes, ordinary people do not know Him. He comes in secret. A few intimate devotees come to know…
  1567. 49"Can everyone grasp the Indivisible Satchidananda? But the man who reaches the Eternal and then stays in the divine play for the joy of it, his is rip…
  1568. 50Chapter Five
  1569. 51In the Joy of Kirtan and in Samadhi
  1570. 52The devotees listen in wonder to this truth about the Incarnation. Some are thinking: how strange! The Indivisible Satchidananda of the Vedas, whom th…
  1571. 53Presently devotees from Konnagar came into the garden singing kirtan with drums and cymbals. Singing the Name, Manomohan, Nabai and many more came up…
  1572. 54As he dances he goes now and then into samadhi, and then stands in the midst of the kirtan like a figure in a picture. In that state the devotees deck…
  1573. 55The Master is standing in samadhi, a garland round his neck. A devotee is holding him for fear he may fall. All round him the devotees stand singing k…
  1574. 56For a long time the devotees went on gazing at this form of bliss. The samadhi ended. It has grown late in the day. After a while the kirtan stopped t…
  1575. 57After resting a little, the Master put on a new cloth of yellow silk and took his seat on the small cot. The devotees are gazing at the wondrous form…
  1576. 58The Master sat down to his meal. The devotees too joyfully took prasad.
  1577. 59Chapter Six
  1578. 60With a Goswami: On the Harmony of All Religions
  1579. 61After his meal Sri Ramakrishna is resting on the small cot. The crowd in the room is growing, and the verandahs outside too are full of people. In the…
  1580. 62A Vaishnava goswami is also sitting in the room, and the Master is addressing him. Whenever the Master saw goswamis he used to bow his head to them, a…
  1581. 63The Glory of the Name, or Yearning Love? Ajamila
  1582. 64Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, what is your view? What is the means?
  1583. 65The Goswami: Sir, the Name itself will do it. In the Kaliyuga the Name is all-powerful.
  1584. 66Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, the Name has great power, no doubt. But what can it do without yearning love? The soul must be restless for God. If I go on repe…
  1585. 67"The sting of a scorpion or a spider is not cured by a charm alone; you have to foment it with the heat of a cow-dung cake as well."
  1586. 68The Goswami: But then, Ajamila? Ajamila was a grievous sinner; he left no sin uncommitted. But at the time of death he called out to his son by the na…
  1587. 69Sri Ramakrishna: Perhaps Ajamila had done a great deal of good work in his past lives. And it is also said that he practised austerities later.
  1588. 70"One may also say that it was then his last hour. What good does it do to bathe an elephant? Smeared with dust and mud again, it is just as it was! Bu…
  1589. 71"A man is once made pure by the Name, but straight afterwards, perhaps, he is caught up in all kinds of sin. He has no strength of mind; he does not v…
  1590. 72"So repeat the Name, and with it pray for love of God; and pray that your attachment may lessen for the things that last only a day or two, money, hon…
  1591. 73The Vaishnava Religion and Sectarianism: The Harmony of All Religions
  1592. 74Sri Ramakrishna, to the Goswami: If a man is sincere, he can reach God through any religion. Vaishnavas will reach Him, and Saktas, and Vedantists, an…
  1593. 75"This attitude is called dogmatism: that is, 'My religion alone is right and everyone else's is false.' This is a bad way of thinking. Many paths lead…
  1594. 76"Then again some say, 'God has form; He is not formless.' And so there is another quarrel. The Vaishnava quarrels with the Vedantist.
  1595. 77"If one sees God face to face, then one can speak rightly. He who has seen Him knows for certain that God has form and is also without form. And what…
  1596. 78"Some blind men once came upon an elephant. Someone told them, 'This animal is called an elephant.' Then the blind men were asked, 'What is the elepha…
  1597. 79"A man came back from the fields where he had gone to relieve himself and said, 'Under that tree I saw a beautiful red chameleon.' Another said, 'I we…
  1598. 80With Form or Without Form?
  1599. 81To the Goswami: "Then what is the use of saying that God has form and nothing more? That He comes in a human body like Sri Krishna is true; that He ta…
  1600. 82"Do you know what it is like? Satchidananda is like a boundless ocean. As the cold makes the water of the sea freeze into ice that floats, blocks of i…
  1601. 83"Still, you may say that to some devotees He is eternally with form. In some places the ice does not melt at all; it turns into something like crystal…
  1602. 84Kedar: Sir, in the Bhagavata Vyasa begs the Lord's pardon for three faults. In one place he says, "O Lord, You are beyond speech and mind, yet I have…
  1603. 85Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, God has form and is formless, and beyond form and formlessness both. There is no setting a bound to Him.
  1604. 86Chapter Seven
  1605. 87Sri Ramakrishna, the Ever-Perfect, and Renunciation from Boyhood
  1606. 88Rakhal's father is sitting there. Rakhal is staying with the Master these days. After the death of Rakhal's mother his father married again. Because R…
  1607. 89O Lord of the world, forgive me my three faults, born of my weakness: that in meditation I have imagined a form for You who are beyond form; that in p…
  1608. 90Now and then Sri Ramakrishna looks at Rakhal's father. The Master wishes Rakhal to stay with him at Dakshineswar.
  1609. 91Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees and Rakhal's father: Ah, how Rakhal's nature has changed these days! Look at his face: you will see his lips moving n…
  1610. 92"These young boys are of the ever-perfect kind; knowledge of God is in them from birth. As soon as they are a little older they understand that once t…
  1611. 93"These boys are just like that. From childhood they are afraid of the world. They have but one thought: how am I to go to the Mother, how may God be r…
  1612. 94"You may ask how such devotion, such knowledge, can come to those who live among worldly people and are born of worldly fathers. There is a reason. If…
  1613. 95"Ah, how Rakhal's nature has turned out these days! And why shouldn't it? If the yam is good, the little shoot from it is good too." Everyone laughed.…
  1614. 96M., aside to Girindra: How well he explained that matter of form and the formless! Do the Vaishnavas, I wonder, speak only of form?
  1615. 97Girindra: So it seems. They are one-sided.
  1616. 98M.: "Eternally with form": do you understand that? That about the crystal? I can't quite follow it.
  1617. 99Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Well, what are you two whispering about?
  1618. 100M. and Girindra smiled a little and said nothing.
  1619. 101Brinde, the maidservant, to Ramlal: Ramlal, give this person something to eat now; give me mine afterwards.
  1620. 102Sri Ramakrishna: Hasn't Brinde had her food yet?
  1621. 103Chapter Eight
  1622. 104In the Joy of Kirtan beneath the Panchavati
  1623. 105In the afternoon the devotees are singing kirtan beneath the Panchavati. Sri Ramakrishna joined them. Today, singing the Mother's name with the devote…
  1624. 106The kite of my mind was flying in the sky of Syama's feet. Caught by a foul wind of sin, it dipped and spun and fell. Weighted with maya, its tail gre…
  1625. 107More songs followed, with drums and cymbals sounding all the while. The Master is dancing with the devotees:
  1626. 108My mind, the bee, is lost in the blue lotus of Syama's feet, (in the blue lotus of Syama's feet, in the blue lotus of Kali's feet!) and the honey of w…
  1627. 109The kirtan goes on. The devotees are singing:
  1628. 110(1) What a machine Mother Syama has made! (What a machine Mother Kali has made!) Within this machine three and a half cubits tall, what pranks She is…
  1629. 111(2) I came into the world to play at dice, and how high my hopes were! But hope's hope was dashed: at the very first throw I got a five. Then came eig…
  1630. 112The devotees went on rejoicing. When they paused a little, the Master got up. There are still a good many devotees in the room and round about.
  1631. 113Sri Ramakrishna is going from the Panchavati towards his room, facing south, with M. beside him. When they came to the bakul tree they met Trailokya,…
  1632. 114Sri Ramakrishna, to Trailokya: There's singing going on in the Panchavati. Come along for a while!
  1633. 115Trailokya: What shall I do there?
  1634. 116Sri Ramakrishna: Why, it would be nice to see it once.
  1635. 117Trailokya: I have been and seen it once.
  1636. 118Sri Ramakrishna: All right, all right, very good.
  1637. 119Chapter Nine
  1638. 120Sri Ramakrishna and the Duty of the Householder
  1639. 121It is now about half past five or six. The Master is sitting with the devotees on the south-east verandah of his own room, looking at them.
  1640. 122Sri Ramakrishna, to Kedar and the other devotees: The sadhu who has given up the world is bound to chant Hari's name; he has nothing else to do. If he…
  1641. 123"If a man of the world chants the name of Hari, that is something to his credit. Look at King Janaka: what a hero he was! He used to whirl two swords:…
  1642. 124"The company of holy men is always needed. The holy man brings you into touch with God."
  1643. 125Kedar: Yes, sir! A great soul comes for the deliverance of men. He is like a railway engine that pulls along all the carriages coupled behind it. Or l…
  1644. 126Gradually the devotees made ready to go home. One after another they bowed low to the ground before Sri Ramakrishna and touched his feet, taking the d…
  1645. 127Bhavanath has not yet entered the world. He is nineteen or twenty, fair, with a handsome body. Tears come to his eyes at the name of God. The Master s…
  1646. 1Chapter Ten
  1647. 2Conversation with Sri Amrita, Sri Trailokya and Other Brahmo Devotees at the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar
  1648. 3In the Shrine of Samadhi
  1649. 4The day is the dark fifth of Phalgun, Thursday, the sixteenth of Chaitra: by the English reckoning the twenty-ninth of March, 1883. Bhagavan Sri Ramak…
  1650. 5Rakhal is unwell. Sri Ramakrishna is telling the devotees about it.
  1651. 6Sri Ramakrishna: Look here, Rakhal is unwell. Does soda water do any good, eh? What's to be done, my child! Rakhal, you eat Jagannath's prasad.
  1652. 7As he was saying this the Master passed into a wonderful mood. It seemed he had begun to see that Narayana Himself had come before him, taking on a bo…
  1653. 8At this point a Bengali stranger dressed in ochre came in and took a seat.
  1654. 9Chapter Eleven
  1655. 10He who holds back the organs of action but sits dwelling in his mind on the objects of the senses, deluded within, is named a hypocrite. Bhagavad Gita…
  1656. 11The Ochre Cloth and the Sannyasi: Falsehood Is Not Good Even in a Play
  1657. 12Little by little the Paramahamsa came down from samadhi. He spoke while still in the mood. He was saying to himself:
  1658. 13Sri Ramakrishna, seeing the ochre cloth: "And why the ochre? Is it enough just to put it on?" There was laughter. "Someone once said, 'I gave up singi…
  1659. 14"There are three or four kinds of renunciation. One man is burnt by the troubles of the world and puts on the ochre cloth: that renunciation does not…
  1660. 15"Nothing false is good. A false garb is not good. If the mind does not match the garb, ruin comes little by little. When one speaks or acts falsely, f…
  1661. 16A Visit to Keshab's House and a Performance of the New Vrindavan
  1662. 17"Why, even in a play it is not good for good people to say or do false things. I went to Keshab Sen's place to see the play New Vrindavan. They brough…
  1663. 18A Brahmo devotee: That was K—— Babu.
  1664. 19Sri Ramakrishna: For a devotee it is not good even to dress up like that. It does harm to let the mind dwell on such things for long. The mind is like…
  1665. 20"On another day I went to see Nimai's Sannyas at Keshab's house. A few of Keshab's flattering disciples had got together and spoilt the play. One of t…
  1666. 21Narendra and the Others Are Ever-Perfect: Their Devotion Is Inborn
  1667. 22To Amrita and Trailokya: "Narendra, Rakhal and the rest, all these boys are ever-perfect. Birth after birth they are devotees of God. Many people gain…
  1668. 23"The ever-perfect are a class apart. Not every bird has a hooked beak. They never become attached to the world, like Prahlada.
  1669. 24"Ordinary people do sadhana and are devoted to God too. Yet they cling to the world as well and are charmed by woman and gold. They are like the fly t…
  1670. 25"The ever-perfect are like the honeybee, which settles only on flowers and drinks honey. The ever-perfect drink Hari's nectar and do not go after the…
  1671. 26"Theirs is not the devotion that comes by striving and sadhana. 'So much japa and so much meditation must be done, worship must be done in this way':…
  1672. 27"When raga bhakti comes, prema bhakti, love for God as for one's own kin, there are no more rules and regulations. Then it is like crossing a field af…
  1673. 28"When the flood comes, there is no need to go round and round by the winding river. Then the fields are under a bamboo's depth of water! You can sail…
  1674. 29"Unless this raga bhakti comes, this passionate attachment and love, God is not attained."
  1675. 30The Nature of Samadhi: Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa
  1676. 31Amrita: Sir, what do you feel in this state of samadhi?
  1677. 32Sri Ramakrishna: You have heard how the cockroach, by thinking of the potter wasp, turns into a potter wasp itself. Do you know the way of it? It is a…
  1678. 33Amrita: Does no ego at all remain?
  1679. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, a little ego usually remains in me. However much you rub a grain of gold on the goldsmith's stone, a little grain still remains.…
  1680. 1April 1883
  1681. 2With Narendra, Rakhal and Others in Balaram's House
  1682. 3Chapter One
  1683. 4Sri Ramakrishna Rejoicing in Kirtan among Narendra and the Devotees
  1684. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees at Balaram's house, in the room to the north-east of the parlour. It is about one in the afternoon. Naren…
  1685. 6Today is the new moon: Saturday, the twenty-fifth of Chaitra, the seventh of April, 1883. The Master came to Balaram's house in the morning and has ha…
  1686. 7Some days earlier the Master had gone to see Nava Vrindavan, a play staged at Sri Keshab's house, taking Narendra and Rakhal along. Narendra took part…
  1687. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra and the rest: Keshab Sen dressed up as a holy man and began sprinkling the water of peace. But I did not like it. The wat…
  1688. 9"Another man, K. Babu, played the part of Sin. It is not good to dress up like that. It is not good to sin oneself, and not good to act sin either."
  1689. 10Narendra is not very well, but the Master has a great wish to hear him sing. He says, "Narendra, they are asking you to sing a little. Won't you?"
  1690. 11Narendra takes the tanpura and sings:
  1691. 12Sing, won't you, O bird that lives caged in my heart! Sitting on the wishing-tree of Brahman, O bird, sing the glories of the Lord; (Sing, sing.) Dhar…
  1692. 13Song: Brahman, delight of the whole universe, the Light supreme; The God without beginning, Lord of the world, the Life of life.
  1693. 14Song: O King of kings, show Yourself to me. At Your feet I offer up this life of mine, It too has been scorched in the fire-pit of the world. And this…
  1694. 15Song: In the platter of the sky the lamps of sun and moon are burning; The circles of stars shine like pearls. The sandal breeze is the incense, the w…
  1695. 16Song: In the sky of Consciousness the full moon of love has risen.
  1696. 17Narendra's singing is over. The Master asks Bhavanath to sing. Bhavanath sings:
  1697. 18O Fount of Mercy, who is such a friend as You? Who else is the same in joy and sorrow, who takes away sin and pain and fear?
  1698. 19Narendra, smiling: Bhavanath here has given up betel and fish.
  1699. 20Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Bhavanath: What's this, my boy? What harm is there in betel and fish? There is nothing wrong in them! Renouncing woman an…
  1700. 21A devotee: Sir, Rakhal is asleep.
  1701. 22The Master, smiling: "A man once came to a jatra performance with a mat under his arm. Seeing that the play was late in starting, he spread his mat an…
  1702. 23"So he tucked his mat under his arm and went home." There is laughter.
  1703. 24Ramdayal is gravely ill, confined to his bed in another room. The Master goes to the door of that room and asks how he is.
  1704. 25The Panchadasi, the Vedanta Scriptures and Sri Ramakrishna: the Worldly Man and the Meaning of the Scriptures
  1705. 26It is about four o'clock. In the parlour the Master sits among Narendra, Rakhal, M., Bhavanath and the others. Some Brahmo devotees have come, and he…
  1706. 27A Brahmo devotee: Sir, have you looked into the Panchadasi?
  1707. 28Sri Ramakrishna: One should hear such things once, at the beginning; at the beginning one should reason them out once. After that:
  1708. 29"Keep the beloved Mother Syama with care within your heart; Let only you and I see Her, O mind, and let no one else see."
  1709. 30"In the stage of spiritual practice one needs to hear these things. After one has attained Him, there is no lack of knowledge. The Mother pushes it to…
  1710. 31"At first you have to spell each word out as you write it; after that you just let the pen run.
  1711. 32"When you melt gold you have to work hard at it: the bellows in one hand, a fan in the other, a blowpipe in your mouth, until the gold melts. Once it…
  1712. 33"Merely reading the scriptures is not enough. If one stays in the midst of woman and gold, they do not let one grasp the meaning of the scriptures. At…
  1713. 34The Master speaks of Sri Keshab to the Brahmo devotees:
  1714. 35"Keshab has both yoga and enjoyment. He lives in the world, yet his mind is on God."
  1715. 36A devotee speaks of the Convocation, the annual assembly of the university's scholars: "I saw a sea of people."
  1716. 37Sri Ramakrishna: Seeing a great many people together stirs up the thought of God. Had I seen it, I would have been overwhelmed.
  1717. 1Chapter Two
  1718. 2In the Dakshineswar Temple Garden among the Devotees: Manilal Back from Kasi
  1719. 3Come, brother, let us go again today to see Sri Ramakrishna at the temple of Dakshineswar. We shall see how he sports with the devotees, how he is alw…
  1720. 4Today is Sunday, the bright first of Chaitra. Yesterday, Saturday, the day of the new moon, the Master went to Balaram's house. The new moon: the grea…
  1721. 5It is Sunday morning, the twenty-sixth of Chaitra, the eighth of April, 1883. See, there sits the Master like a child. A young devotee, Rakhal, is sit…
  1722. 6M. comes and prostrates himself before the Master. The Master's nephew Ramlal is there, and Kishori and a few other devotees have gathered. Sri Manila…
  1723. 7Mani Mallick had been to Kasi. He is a man of business, and his family have a trading house there.
  1724. 8Sri Ramakrishna: Well, you went to Kasi. Did you see any holy men there?
  1725. 9Manilal: Yes, sir. Trailanga Swami, Bhaskarananda: I went to see them all.
  1726. 10Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, how did you find them?
  1727. 11Manilal: Trailanga Swami lives in that same temple, at the Manikarnika ghat, near Benimadhav. People say he was in a high state once and could do all…
  1728. 12Sri Ramakrishna: That is the slander of worldly people.
  1729. 13Manilal: Bhaskarananda mixes with everyone. He is not like Trailanga Swami, who does not speak at all.
  1730. 14For the Perfect, "God Is the Doer"; for Others, Sin and Virtue: Free Will
  1731. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Did you have any talk with Bhaskarananda?
  1732. 16Manilal: Yes, sir, a good deal. Among other things we spoke of sin and virtue! He said: "Do not walk in the way of sin, give up sinful thoughts; that…
  1733. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that is one way, for those whose concern is this life. But those who have been awakened, who have come to see God as real and al…
  1734. 18"Those who have been awakened are beyond sin and virtue. They see that it is God who does everything. In a certain place there was a monastery. The mo…
  1735. 19"Unless one comes to know God, one does not reach such a state."
  1736. 20Manilal: Sir, what you have described is a very high state! I talked with Bhaskarananda about all sorts of things of this kind.
  1737. 21Sri Ramakrishna: Does he live in somebody's house?
  1738. 22Manilal: Yes, he lives in someone's house.
  1739. 23Sri Ramakrishna: How old is he?
  1740. 24Manilal: About fifty-five.
  1741. 25Sri Ramakrishna: Did you talk of anything else?
  1742. 26Manilal: I asked him how one gets devotion. His answer was, "Take the Name; keep saying 'Rama, Rama'!"
  1743. 27Sri Ramakrishna: That is well said.
  1744. 28Chapter Three
  1745. 29The Householder and Karmayoga
  1746. 30In the temple garden the worship of Sri Sri Bhavatarini, of Sri Sri Radhakanta and of the twelve Sivas is over. Now the music of the arati of the food…
  1747. 31Sri Ramakrishna, turning to Mani Mallick: "You know, Rakhal tells me that in his part of the country people suffer badly for want of water. Why don't…
  1748. 32Manilal Mallick's house is at Sinduriapati in Calcutta. He invites many people every year for the anniversary festival of the Sinduriapati Brahmo Sama…
  1749. 33Manilal is indeed a careful man with money! He seldom hires a whole carriage to Baranagore; he takes the tram to Sobhabazar and from there a shared ca…
  1750. 34Manilal sat silent. A while later, after some talk of this and that, he picked up the thread and said, "Sir, you were speaking of a pond. You could ha…
  1751. 35Some of the devotees are smiling to themselves. The Master too is smiling.
  1752. 36Chapter Four
  1753. 37Sri Ramakrishna and the Brahmos at Dakshineswar: the Nature of Prema
  1754. 38A little later some old Brahmo devotees arrive from Calcutta; among them is Sri Thakurdas Sen. Many devotees have gathered in the room. The Master is…
  1755. 39Sri Ramakrishna, to the Brahmos and other devotees: You keep saying "prem, prem," but is prema, divine love, such a small thing? Chaitanyadeva had pre…
  1756. 40"The second sign is that one has no attachment even to one's own body, though it is so dear; the feeling that one is the body goes altogether.
  1757. 41"There are certain signs that one is about to attain God. When the wealth of love is showing itself in a man, he will not have long to wait for God.
  1758. 42"What is the wealth of love? Discrimination, dispassion, compassion for living beings, service of holy men, their company, chanting God's name and glo…
  1759. 43"When you see these signs of love, you can be certain that God will soon be seen. If it has been settled that the master is going to visit a servant's…
  1760. 44A devotee: Sir, must one first control the senses through reasoning?
  1761. 45Sri Ramakrishna: That is one path, the path of reasoning. On the path of devotion too the inner senses come under control of themselves, and easily. T…
  1762. 46"On the day their child has died, can husband and wife think of bodily pleasure in their grief?"
  1763. 47A devotee: But I cannot love Him.
  1764. 48The Glory of the Name; the Way; the Mother's Name
  1765. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Chanting His name cuts away all sin. Lust, anger, the craving for bodily comfort: all these take to flight.
  1766. 50A devotee: But I don't enjoy chanting His name.
  1767. 51Sri Ramakrishna: Pray to Him with longing that you may come to relish His name. He will fulfil your heart's desire.
  1768. 52So saying, the Master sings in a voice the gods themselves might envy. Distressed by men's sufferings, he is laying the pain of his heart before the M…
  1769. 53It is no one's fault, Mother; I am drowning, Syama, in the water of the well I dug myself. The six passions became my spade; in the holy field I dug a…
  1770. 54He sings again. Men's sickness is a delirium! If they come to relish His name, the delirium will pass:
  1771. 55What a delirium is this, O Sankari! Only the boat of Your gracious feet can cure it. Passing glory has become a burning in my limbs; what sinful delus…
  1772. 56Sri Ramakrishna: "No taste for Your name"! If a man in delirium loses all taste, there is no hope of his living. If he has even a little taste left, t…
  1773. 57Sincere Devotion and Show of Devotion: God Looks at the Heart
  1774. 58"As is a man's feeling, so is his gain. Two friends were going along the road. In one place the Bhagavata was being read. One friend said, 'Come, brot…
  1775. 59"God looks at the heart. He does not look at what work a man is doing or where he happens to be. 'The Lord accepts the feeling.'
  1776. 60"When the Kartabhajas give the mantra they say, 'Now the mind is yours,' meaning that now everything depends on your own mind.
  1777. 61"They say: 'He whose mind is right, his doing is right, and his gain is right.'
  1778. 62"By virtue of his mind Hanuman crossed the sea. 'I am Rama's servant, I have chanted Rama's name: what can I not do!' Such was his faith."
  1779. 63Why God Is Not Seen: Because of the Ego
  1780. 64"As long as there is ego there is ignorance. While ego remains there is no liberation.
  1781. 65"The cows go 'Hamba, hamba,' and the goats 'Myaa, myaa,' and that is why they suffer so. The butcher slaughters them, and their hides are made into sh…
  1782. 66"'O God, You are the Doer and I am not': that is knowledge.
  1783. 67"Only by being lowly can one rise high. The chataka bird builds its nest low down, but it soars very high. Crops do not grow on high land. Low land is…
  1784. 68The Householder Needs the Company of Holy Men; Who Is Truly Poor?
  1785. 69"One must take a little trouble to keep holy company. At home there is nothing but worldly talk; the disease never leaves you. The parrot says 'Rama,…
  1786. 70"Having money does not make a man great. One sign of a great man's house is that there is a light in every room. The poor cannot afford the oil, so th…
  1787. 71"Light the lamp of knowledge, and see the face of the Mother, Brahman Herself, in your room."
  1788. 72The Nature of Prayer; the Signs of Awakening
  1789. 73"Everyone can attain knowledge. There is the individual soul and there is the Supreme Soul. Pray, and every soul can be united with that Supreme Soul.…
  1790. 74"When a man is awakened, there are signs of it. Nothing pleases him to hear but talk of God, and nothing pleases him to say but that. The seven seas,…
  1791. 75Chapter Five
  1792. 76Songs by Sri Ramlal and Others, and Sri Ramakrishna's Samadhi
  1793. 77Sri Ramakrishna asks for some singing. Ramlal and a brahmin employee of the temple are singing, with only the beat of a left-hand drum for accompanime…
  1794. 78(1) If You will dwell in the Vrindavan of my heart, O Lord of Lakshmi, O Lover of devotion, my devotion will be the chaste Radha. My longing for liber…
  1795. 79(2) What is the new rain-cloud's hue beside the beauty of Syamchand? A flute in His hand and a smile on His lips, His beauty lights up the world. His…
  1796. 80(3) In the sky of Syama's feet the kite of my mind was flying; Caught by the ill wind of sin, it spun and fell.
  1797. 81Love Is the Way to God: the Love of the Gopis; "the Tiger of Love"
  1798. 82Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: As a tiger gobbles up animals, so "the tiger of love" devours lust, anger and the other passions. Once a man has lov…
  1799. 83"Then there is 'the collyrium of love.' Srimati said, 'Friend, I see Krishna everywhere!' They answered, 'Friend, you have put the collyrium of love o…
  1800. 84"Those who are wrapped up in woman and gold and never once think of God are bound souls. What great work can be done with them? They are like a mango…
  1801. 85"Bound souls, worldly people, are like silkworms. If they wished they could cut their way out; but they have built the house themselves and cannot bea…
  1802. 86"Free souls are not slaves to woman and gold. A few silkworms do bite through the cocoon they took such pains over, and get out. But they are only one…
  1803. 87"Maya keeps men deluded. One or two attain knowledge; they are not fooled by maya's tricks and are not slaves to woman and gold. A man who wears on hi…
  1804. 88"There are the perfect by practice and the perfect by grace. Some, with great labour, bale water into their field; if they manage it, they get a crop.…
  1805. 89"And then there are the ever-perfect: in them knowledge and awakening are there birth after birth. It is like a fountain whose mouth is stopped. The m…
  1806. 90The Master speaks of love, the love of the gopis. The singing begins again. Ramlal sings:
  1807. 91O Lord, You are my all in all, my life's support, the essence of all essence; In the three worlds there is none but You whom I can call my own. You ar…
  1808. 92Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Ah, what a song! "You are my all in all!" When Akrura came, the gopis said to Srimati: "Radha! He has come to rob yo…
  1809. 93The singing goes on:
  1810. 94(1) Do not hold, do not hold the chariot's wheel! Does the chariot move by its wheels? Hari, the Lord of the wheel, by whose wheel the world turns, mo…
  1811. 95(2) Beloved! For whom now do you string your garland with such care?
  1812. 96As he listens to the songs, Sri Ramakrishna sinks deep into the ocean of samadhi! The devotees gaze at him in silent wonder. Not a sound. The Master i…
  1813. 97Talking with God: Sri Ramakrishna's Vision: Krishna Is Everything
  1814. 98After a long while the Master comes down a little. But he is saying something to the One he was seeing in samadhi. Only a word or two reaches the devo…
  1815. 99"What jaundice is this that has come over me? I see You everywhere!
  1816. 100"O Krishna, Friend of the lowly, Beloved of my life! Govinda!"
  1817. 101Saying "Beloved of my life! Govinda!" he goes into samadhi again. The room is hushed. The devotees gaze again and again, with eyes that cannot have en…
  1818. 102Chapter Six
  1819. 103Sri Ramakrishna Possessed by God, and God's Words from His Lips Sri Adhar Sen's Second Visit: Teaching to the Householder
  1820. 104Sri Ramakrishna is in samadhi, sitting on his small cot, with the devotees seated all round. Sri Adhar Sen has come with a few friends. Adhar is a dep…
  1821. 105The samadhi broke. The Master looked round and saw a roomful of people gazing at him. Then he said something to himself.
  1822. 106Is God speaking and teaching through his lips?
  1823. 107Sri Ramakrishna: Sometimes knowledge shows itself in worldly people. Now and then it flickers like a lamp-flame. No, no, it is like one sunbeam slippi…
  1824. 108"Worldly people have no tenacity. If it comes off, well and good; if not, never mind. They need water, so they dig a well. As they dig, they strike ro…
  1825. 109"As a man acts, so he reaps. That is why the song says: It is no one's fault, Mother; I am drowning, Syama, in the water of the well I dug myself.
  1826. 110"'I' and 'mine' are ignorance. If you reason, you will see that what you call 'I' is nothing but the Self. Reason it out: are you this body? this fles…
  1827. 111"This is gold and that is brass: this is ignorance. All is gold: this is knowledge."
  1828. 112The Signs of God-vision: Is Sri Ramakrishna an Incarnation?
  1829. 113"When God is seen, reasoning stops. Some, it is true, have attained God and still go on reasoning. Or else someone, filled with devotion, sings His na…
  1830. 114"How long does a child cry? Only until he gets the breast. Then the crying stops; there is only joy. Happily he drinks his mother's milk. But there is…
  1831. 115"He Himself has become everything. But He is manifest more in man. Where you find the nature of a child of pure sattva, laughing, weeping, dancing, si…
  1832. 116Grief for a Son: "Arm Yourself for Battle, O Soul"
  1833. 117The Master asks after Adhar's welfare. Adhar tells him of his friend's grief for his son. The Master sings to himself:
  1834. 118Arm yourself for battle, O soul; Death in battle dress is entering your house. Mount the chariot of devotion, take the quiver of knowledge, string the…
  1835. 119"What else can be done? Prepare for this Death. It has already come into the house, and you must fight it with His name as your weapon. He alone is th…
  1836. 120"Give Him the power of attorney! No harm comes of putting your affairs in the hands of a good man. Let Him do what He will.
  1837. 121"But how can one help grieving? One's own child! When Ravana was slain, Lakshmana ran and looked at his body. He saw that there was no place in his bo…
  1838. 122"Yet all these things are passing. House, family, children are here for two days. It is the palm tree that is real! A fruit or two has fallen from it.…
  1839. 123"God is doing three things: creation, preservation and destruction. Death is certain. At the dissolution everything will be destroyed; nothing will re…
  1840. 124Chapter Seven
  1841. 125Teaching to Adhar: Death Is at Hand
  1842. 126The Master is standing with Adhar on the north verandah of his room, talking with him.
  1843. 127Sri Ramakrishna, to Adhar: So you are a deputy. That post too has come to you by God's grace. Do not forget Him. But know that all must go the same wa…
  1844. 128"The world is a field of work. We have come here to work, as people whose homes are in the country come to Calcutta to work.
  1845. 129"One must do some work: spiritual practice. One must finish one's work quickly. When goldsmiths melt gold they blow on the fire with bellows, fan and…
  1846. 130Sri Adharchandra Sen gave up his body a year and a half later. On hearing of it the Master wept a long while before the Mother. Adhar was one of his f…
  1847. 131"Great tenacity is needed; then spiritual practice comes. A firm resolve.
  1848. 132"The seed of His name has great power. It destroys ignorance. The seed is so soft, the shoot so tender, yet it pierces the hard earth. The earth crack…
  1849. 133"When one lives among woman and gold, they pull hard at the mind. One has to be careful. Those who have renounced are not in such danger. The true ren…
  1850. 134"The true renouncers, those who can keep their minds always on God, are like bees that sit only on flowers and drink honey. The man in the world, surr…
  1851. 135"Keep your mind on God always. At first one has to work a little hard. After that you will enjoy your pension."
  1852. 1Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees
  1853. 2Chapter Eight
  1854. 3At Surendra's House with the Devotees for the Worship of Sri Sri Annapurna
  1855. 4Sri Ramakrishna sits in the courtyard of Surendra's house, lighting up the gathering. It is six o'clock in the evening.
  1856. 5From the courtyard one goes up, facing east, to the hall of worship. In the hall stands a beautiful image of the Goddess, with hibiscus and bel leaves…
  1857. 6Today is the worship of Sri Sri Annapurna, on Sunday, the third of Baisakh, 1290, the bright eighth of Chaitra, the fifteenth of April, 1883. Surendra…
  1858. 7The Master has come out into the courtyard with the devotees. A carpet has been spread there, covered with a sheet, with a few bolsters on it. To one…
  1859. 8Sri Ramakrishna was asked to sit against a bolster. He did not sit by it; he pushed it aside and sat down.
  1860. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: To sit propped against a bolster! You know, pride is a very hard thing to shake off. You reason it out: pride is not…
  1861. 10"The goat has been cut in pieces, and still its limbs are twitching.
  1862. 11"You have had a frightening dream. You wake, wide awake, and still your heart goes on pounding. Pride is just like that. Drive it away, and still it t…
  1863. 12Kedar: Humbler than a blade of grass, more patient than a tree.
  1864. 13Sri Ramakrishna: I am the dust that lies under the dust of the devotees.
  1865. 14Vaidyanath comes in.
  1866. 15Vaidyanath is a man of learning, a pleader of the High Court in Calcutta. He bows to the Master with folded hands and takes a seat to one side.
  1867. 16Surendra, to Sri Ramakrishna: He is a relative of mine.
  1868. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, his nature strikes me as a good one.
  1869. 18Surendra: He has a question for you; that is why he has come.
  1870. 19Sri Ramakrishna, turning to Vaidyanath: All that you see is His power. Apart from it, nobody can do a thing. But there is one thing: His power is not…
  1871. 20Free Will or God's Will? Free will or God's will
  1872. 21Vaidyanath: Sir, I have one doubt. People speak of Free Will, that is, independent will: that if I like I can do good, and if I like I can do evil. Is…
  1873. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Everything depends on God. It is all His play. He has made all kinds of things: small and great, strong and weak, good and bad; good…
  1874. 23"So long as one has not attained God, one feels that one is free. He Himself keeps this illusion in us; otherwise sin would increase. There would be n…
  1875. 24"Do you know how one who has attained God feels? 'I am the machine and You the one who works it; I the house and You its mistress; I the chariot and Y…
  1876. 25Can God Be Seen in a Day? The Company of Holy Men Is Needed
  1877. 26Sri Ramakrishna, to Vaidyanath: Arguing is not good. What do you say?
  1878. 27Vaidyanath: Yes, sir. The urge to argue goes when knowledge comes.
  1879. 28Sri Ramakrishna: "Thank you." Everyone laughed. "You will get there! When someone speaks of God, people do not believe him. Even if a great soul says,…
  1880. 29"Can anybody and everybody tell yarn of such and such a count? Go into the yarn trade; stay a while in the shops of those who deal in it; then you wil…
  1881. 30Chapter Nine
  1882. 31In the Joy of Sankirtan with the Devotees: in the Shrine of Samadhi
  1883. 32Now the sankirtan is about to begin. The drum is playing; Goshtha is playing it. The singing has not yet begun. The sweet sound of the drum calls up G…
  1884. 33The singers asked what songs they should sing. Sri Ramakrishna said humbly, "Sing a little about Gauranga."
  1885. 34The kirtan began. First the Gaurachandrika, and then another song:
  1886. 35He outshines gold a hundred thousand times refined; Gora overflows with love; let me offer myself to him! What need of ten million autumn moons? Gora'…
  1887. 36The kirtan describes the beauty of Gauranga. The singer adds his own lines:
  1888. 37(Friend! I have seen the full moon.) (It never wanes and bears no stain) (It lights up the heart.)
  1889. 38Again the singer says: his face is washed with the nectar of ten million moons.
  1890. 39Hearing these words the Master went into samadhi.
  1891. 40The singing goes on. After a while the Master comes out of samadhi. Overwhelmed with ecstasy he suddenly stands up, and like a gopi mad with love, des…
  1892. 41(Friend! Is it the fault of His beauty, or of my mind?) (I look at other things and see the three worlds full of Syama!)
  1893. 42The Master dances as he adds his lines. The devotees watch in amazement. The singer goes on: the gopi says to the flute, "Don't play, flute! Do you ne…
  1894. 43And he adds:
  1895. 44(And how could it sleep?) (Its bed is His tender hand!) (Its food is the nectar of His lips.) (And His fingers wait upon it!)
  1896. 45Sri Ramakrishna has taken his seat again. The kirtan goes on. Srimati is saying: "My eyes are gone, my hearing is gone, my sense of smell is gone; all…
  1897. 46At last came the song of the union of Radha and Krishna:
  1898. 47The fair one strings a garland to hang about Syama's neck, Just then Syama, the jewel of all virtues, came before her.
  1899. 48Song: The Union of the Pair
  1900. 49In the Nidhuvan, Syama and Vinodini are rapt in each other. There is no likeness for their beauty, no end to their love. Half the radiance of gold, an…
  1901. 50The kirtan is over. Uttering the mantra "Bhagavata, Bhakta, Bhagavan," the Master prostrates himself again and again, bowing to the devotees on every…
  1902. 51Chapter Ten
  1903. 52Sri Ramakrishna, God with Form and without Form
  1904. 53It is about half past nine at night. Sri Sri Annapurna is lighting up the hall of worship. Before Her stands Sri Ramakrishna with the devotees: Surend…
  1905. 54Surendra, to Sri Ramakrishna: But today not a single song to the Mother was sung.
  1906. 55Sri Ramakrishna, pointing to the image: Ah, how beautiful the hall looks! The Mother seems to sit there lighting it up. To see Her like this brings su…
  1907. 56"These days the Brahmos sing of God as 'the Immovable, the Solid'; to me it tastes flat. Those who sing it do not seem to get any sweetness. If you ar…
  1908. 57"Look, all of you, how you are seeing outwardly and finding joy. Those who keep on saying 'formless, formless' get nothing; they have nothing outside…
  1909. 58The Master sings, chanting the Mother's name:
  1910. 59O Mother, You are all bliss; do not make me joyless. My mind knows nothing else, Mother, but those two feet of Yours. The son of the Sun speaks ill of…
  1911. 60He sings again:
  1912. 61Chant, O chant the holy name of Durga. (O my, my mind!) He who goes on his way saying Durga, Durga, Durga, Siva, trident in hand, protects him. You ar…
  1913. 62Sri Ramakrishna bowed again before the image. Now, as he goes down the steps, he calls out, "O Ra-ju-a?", meaning, "Rakhal, are the shoes all there, o…
  1914. 63The Master got into the carriage. Surendra bowed to him, and the other devotees bowed too. The moonlight still lay on the road. The Master's carriage…
  1915. 1Chapter Eleven
  1916. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Brahmo Devotees at the Sinthi Brahmo Samaj
  1917. 3Sri Ramakrishna has come, in his grace, to Sri Beni Pal's garden at Sinthi. Today the Sinthi Brahmo Samaj keeps its half-yearly festival. It is Sunday…
  1918. 4Now and then the Brahmo devotees put questions to the Master.
  1919. 5A Brahmo devotee: What is the means, sir?
  1920. 6Sri Ramakrishna: The way is anuraga, longing; that is, to love Him. And prayer.
  1921. 7The Brahmo devotee: Longing, or prayer?
  1922. 8Sri Ramakrishna: Longing first, prayer after.
  1923. 9"Call to Her, my mind, as one truly calls; then how can Syama stay away?"
  1924. 10Sri Ramakrishna sang this song to its melody.
  1925. 11"And one must always be singing His name and glories, always praying. An old brass pot must be scoured every day; what use is scouring it once? And th…
  1926. 12The Brahmo Devotee and Renouncing the World; Work without Desire, Living in the World
  1927. 13The Brahmo devotee: Is giving up the world a good thing?
  1928. 14Sri Ramakrishna: Not everyone should give up the world. Those whose enjoyment has not run its course are not to give up the world. Can two annas' wort…
  1929. 15The Brahmo devotee: Then they will lead the life of the world?
  1930. 16Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, they will try to do their work without desire. Oil your hands, then break the jackfruit open. A maidservant in a rich man's hous…
  1931. 17Your right is to the work alone, never to its fruits. Gita 2.47 Whatever you do, whatever you eat . . . do it as an offering to Me. Gita 9.27
  1932. 18The Brahmo Devotee and the End of Enjoyment; the Signs of a Woman Who Is Vidya; When Dispassion Comes
  1933. 19The Brahmo devotee: What does it mean, enjoyment running its course?
  1934. 20Sri Ramakrishna: The enjoyment of "woman and gold". If a man lies sick with a fever in a room full of pickles and tamarind and jars of water, there is…
  1935. 21The Brahmo devotee: Is womankind bad, or are we bad?
  1936. 22Sri Ramakrishna: There are women who are vidya, and there are women who are avidya. The woman who is vidya leads a man towards God; the woman who is a…
  1937. 23"This world is born of His Mahamaya, His great power of illusion. Within this maya are both: vidya-maya, the maya of knowledge, and avidya-maya, the m…
  1938. 24The Brahmo devotee: If avidya makes one ignorant, why has He made avidya?
  1939. 25Sri Ramakrishna: It is His play. Without darkness the glory of light cannot be understood. Without sorrow, happiness cannot be understood. Only from k…
  1940. 26"Again, it is because the mango has its skin that it grows and ripens. When the mango is ready, then the skin has to be thrown away! Only while the pe…
  1941. 27The Brahmo devotee: Well then, the worship of God with form, the worship of an image made of clay: is all that good?
  1942. 28Sri Ramakrishna: You do not accept God with form; well and good. For you it is not the image but the feeling. Take only the pull of it, the way Radha…
  1943. 29The Brahmo devotee: How does dispassion come? And why doesn't it come to everyone?
  1944. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Dispassion does not come until the hunger for enjoyment is stilled. You can keep a small child happy with things to eat and dolls. Bu…
  1945. 31Satchidananda Alone Is the Guru; Leaving Off Sandhya and Such Rites after God Is Attained
  1946. 32The Brahmo devotees are against the idea of a guru, and so this Brahmo devotee speaks of it.
  1947. 33The Brahmo devotee: Sir, will there be no knowledge without a guru?
  1948. 34Sri Ramakrishna: The Guru is Satchidananda alone. If a human guru awakens your spirit, then know that it is Satchidananda who has taken that form. The…
  1949. 35"The Goddess who is Spirit, in a vessel made of clay": Keshab's teaching.
  1950. 36Gradually dusk fell. Some among the Brahmo devotees said to the Master, "I suppose you must perform your sandhya now."
  1951. 37Sri Ramakrishna: No, it is not like that. All those things have to be done for a while at the beginning. After that one has no more need of the ritual…
  1952. 38Chapter Twelve
  1953. 39Sri Ramakrishna and the Acharya Sri Becharam: On Vedanta and the Truth of Brahman
  1954. 40After dusk Sri Becharam, the acharya of the Adi Samaj, sat at the altar and led the worship. Now and then hymns to Brahman were sung and passages were…
  1955. 41Sri Ramakrishna: Well, the formless is true and God with form is true as well. What do you say?
  1956. 42Form and the Formless; the Form Made of Spirit, and the Devotee
  1957. 43The acharya: Sir, the formless is like an electric current: the eye cannot see it, yet one can feel it.
  1958. 44Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, both are true. Form and formless, both are true. Do you know what it is like to speak only of the formless? It is like the man i…
  1959. 45"You see, the thing is to fall into the pool of nectar somehow. Whether you get there by singing hymns, or someone pushes you and in you fall, the res…
  1960. 46"For the Brahmos the simile of water and ice is just right. Satchidananda is like a boundless expanse of water. As the water of the great ocean freeze…
  1961. 47"Again, it is said that Brahman is beyond speech and mind. In the heat of the sun of knowledge the ice of form melts away. After the knowledge of Brah…
  1962. 48"What Brahman is cannot be told in words; one falls silent. Who can put the Infinite into words! Fly as high as a bird may, there is still more above…
  1963. 49The acharya: Yes, sir, that is just what Vedanta says.
  1964. 50The pool of nectar: This immortal Brahman alone is before, Brahman behind, Brahman to the south and to the north. It spreads out below and above. Brah…
  1965. 51Narada said: I came to have a pure body, wholly the Lord's. When that pure body, made of the Lord, was being bestowed on me, the body of five elements…
  1966. 52Nirguna Brahman, "Unreached by Speech or Mind", Transcending the Three Gunas
  1967. 53Sri Ramakrishna: A doll of salt went to measure the sea and never came back to bring word. One view holds that Sukadeva and others saw and touched it…
  1968. 54"I said to Vidyasagar, 'Everything has been made unclean, as food is by the mouth, but Brahman has never been defiled.' That is, nobody has ever manag…
  1969. 55"I have heard that beyond Kedar there are mountains covered with snow. If you climb too high, you cannot come back. Those who went to learn what is up…
  1970. 56"When a man sees God he is overwhelmed with joy and falls silent. Who is to bring word? Who will explain it?
  1971. 57"The king is beyond seven gates. At every gate there sits a man of great wealth and splendour. At each gate the disciple asks, 'Is this the king?' And…
  1972. 58The acharya: Yes, sir, all this is in Vedanta.
  1973. 59Sri Ramakrishna: When He is creating, sustaining and dissolving, I speak of Him as Brahman with attributes, the Primal Power. When He transcends the t…
  1974. 60Never defiled: "Beyond thought, beyond all naming . . . without a second." Mandukya Upanishad 7
  1975. 61"From which words turn back, together with the mind, failing to reach it." Taittiriya Upanishad 2.4
  1976. 62"All doubts are cut asunder . . . when He who is both high and low is seen." Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.8
  1977. 63"Caught in His maya, man forgets his own true nature. He forgets that his Father's endless riches are his by right. His maya is made of the three guna…
  1978. 64"A rich man was going along a forest path. Three robbers came up, surrounded him and took everything he had. When they had stripped him of it all, one…
  1979. 65"The first robber is tamas, the one who said, 'What's the good of keeping him? Kill him.' Tamas destroys. The second robber is rajas; through rajas a…
  1980. 66The acharya: It has all been finely said.
  1981. 67Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Do you know what a devotee is like? 'I speak and you listen; you speak and I listen!' You are acharyas; you teach so many p…
  1982. 1May 1883
  1983. 2With Rakhal, M. and Others at the Brahmo Samaj in Nandanbagan
  1984. 3Chapter One
  1985. 4Seeing a Temple Awakens the Mind; Radha's Madness of Love
  1986. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in the Brahmo Samaj temple at Nandanbagan, talking with the Brahmo devotees. Rakhal, M. and others are wi…
  1987. 6Kashiswar Mitra's house is at Nandanbagan. He had once been a judge of the Sadar court. He belonged to the Adi Brahmo Samaj and was a knower of Brahma…
  1988. 7On arriving the Master had first taken his seat in a sitting-room downstairs. The Brahmo devotees gathered there by degrees. Sri Rabindranath and othe…
  1989. 8When he was called, the Master went upstairs with the devotees to the hall of worship and sat down. The altar has been set up on the east side of the…
  1990. 9The festival worship will begin at dusk. Sri Bhairav Bandyopadhyay of the Adi Brahmo Samaj will sit at the altar with one or two devotees and conduct…
  1991. 10It is summer: Wednesday, the twentieth of Baisakh, the dark tenth of Chaitra, the second of May, 1883. Many of the Brahmo devotees are walking about t…
  1992. 11"Narendra said to me, 'What is the use of bowing to the Samaj temple?'
  1993. 12"Seeing a temple, one thinks of Him alone; the spirit is kindled. Wherever He is spoken of, there He shows Himself, and all the holy places are presen…
  1994. 13"Once a devotee was filled with ecstasy on seeing a babla tree, for he thought: it is of this wood that the axe handles are made for Sri Radhakanta's…
  1995. 14"One devotee had such devotion to his guru that he was lost in ecstasy at the sight of a man from his guru's neighbourhood.
  1996. 15"A cloud, a blue cloth, a painting: any of these would bring Krishna to Sri Radha's mind. Seeing these things she would be beside herself like one mad…
  1997. 16Ghoshal: But madness is not a good thing.
  1998. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Why, how is that? Is this the madness that comes from brooding on worldly things, that leaves a man senseless? This state comes from…
  1999. 18The Way: Loving God and Turning the Six Passions Round
  2000. 19A Brahmo devotee: By what means can He be reached?
  2001. 20Sri Ramakrishna: By loving Him. And by this constant discrimination: God alone is real, the world is passing.
  2002. 21"The aswattha tree alone is real; its fruit lasts a day or two."
  2003. 22The Brahmo devotee: There are lust and anger, the passions. What can one do?
  2004. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Turn the six passions towards God.
  2005. 24"Let the desire be to delight in the Atman.
  2006. 25"Let anger be for those who stand in the way to God, and greed be for attaining Him. If you must say 'mine, mine', then say it of Him: my Krishna, my…
  2007. 26The Brahmo devotee: If it is He alone who makes us do everything, then I am not answerable for sin?
  2008. 27Free will, Responsibility (Answerability for Sin)
  2009. 28Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That is what Duryodhana said:
  2010. 29"'O Hrishikesha, as You, seated in my heart, direct me, so I act.'
  2011. 30"One who truly believes, 'The doer is God alone; I do nothing', cannot commit sin. One who has really learnt to dance never puts a foot out of time.
  2012. 31"Unless the heart is pure, one cannot even believe that God exists!"
  2013. 32The Master looks at the people gathered in the hall and says, "It is very good to meet like this now and then, all together, to think on God and sing…
  2014. 33"But the love of worldly people for God is fleeting, like water sprinkled on red-hot iron: it lasts as long as the water stays on it!"
  2015. 34The Worship of Brahman, and Sri Ramakrishna
  2016. 35Now the worship was to begin. The great hall filled with Brahmo devotees. Some Brahmo ladies came and sat on chairs on the north side of the room, hym…
  2017. 36Hymns to Brahman were sung to the piano and harmonium. Hearing them, the Master's joy knew no bounds. Then came, one after another, the opening invoca…
  2018. 37Om. You are our Father; grant us understanding. Salutation to You. Do not destroy us.
  2019. 38"You are our Father; give us right understanding. We bow to You. Do not destroy us."
  2020. 39The Brahmo devotees say with the acharya, in one voice:
  2021. 40Om. Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, the Infinite. It shines forth as Bliss, as the Immortal. It is Peace, the Good, the One without a second; pure, untou…
  2022. 41Now the acharyas chant a hymn:
  2023. 42Om. Salutation to You, the Real, the Cause of the world; salutation to You, Consciousness, the refuge of all the worlds. And so on.
  2024. 43After the hymn the acharyas pray:
  2025. 44From the unreal lead me to the Real. From darkness lead me to Light. From death lead me to Immortality. . . . O Self-revealing One, reveal Yourself to…
  2026. 45Hearing the hymns and the readings, the Master is passing into ecstasy. Now the acharya reads an address.
  2027. 46Sri Ramakrishna, Free of Anger, All Bliss; an Ocean of Grace That Asks No Reason
  2028. 47The worship is over. Arrangements are being made to feed the devotees with luchi, sweets and the like. Most of the Brahmo devotees are out enjoying th…
  2029. 48It is nine o'clock at night; the Master must go back to the temple at Dakshineswar. The hosts are so busy entertaining the worldly devotees they have…
  2030. 49Sri Ramakrishna, to Rakhal and the others: Well, nobody is calling us!
  2031. 50Rakhal, angrily: Sir, come away. Let us go to Dakshineswar.
  2032. 51Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Wait a little! Who will pay the carriage hire, three rupees two annas! Being stubborn is not enough. No money, and yet all t…
  2033. 52After a long while word came that the leaves had been laid. All the devotees were called in at once. In that crush the Master went upstairs with Rakha…
  2034. 53The place was not clean. A brahmin woman cook served the curry, and the Master had no wish to eat it. He ate the luchis with salt as a relish and took…
  2035. 54The Master is a sea of mercy. His hosts are mere boys; why should he be vexed because they do not know how to honour him? Had he gone away without eat…
  2036. 55After the meal the Master got into the carriage. Who would pay for it? Of the hosts there was no sign. Afterwards the Master told the devotees about t…
  2037. 56"He went to ask for the hire, and at first they sent him packing! Then with great difficulty three rupees were got out of them, but the two annas they…
  2038. 1Chapter Two
  2039. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Joy of Hari's Kirtan: at the Haribhakti-pradayini Sabha and at Ramchandra's House
  2040. 3Sri Ramakrishna has graced the Haribhakti-pradayini Sabha at Kansaripara in Calcutta with his coming. It is Sunday, the thirty-first of Baisakh, the s…
  2041. 4The episode being sung is "Mana". Radha's companions say to her, "Why did you sulk? So, I suppose, you don't want Krishna to be happy." Radha answers,…
  2042. 1On the following Sunday, the twentieth of May, 1883, there is kirtan again, at Ramchandra's house: songs of Mathura. The Master has come. It is the se…
  2043. 2"Friend, this life will not last. Lay my body on a branch of the tamala tree, and write Krishna's name upon my limbs."
  2044. 3Sri Ramakrishna says, "He and His name are not different; that is why Radha speaks so. Rama and the name of Rama are one." The Master listens to these…
  2045. 1Chapter Three
  2046. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Dakshineswar Temple
  2047. 3Sri Ramakrishna is standing in his own room in the Dakshineswar temple garden, talking with the devotees. Today is Sunday, the fourteenth of Jyaishtha…
  2048. 4Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and the other devotees: "Hostility is not good. Saktas, Vaishnavas and Vedantists quarrel among themselves, and that is not goo…
  2049. 5"If there is longing, He can be reached by any path. Still, it is good to have nishtha, single-minded steadiness. Devotion of that kind has another na…
  2050. 6"A wife who serves her husband has that same single-minded devotion. She feeds her husband's younger and elder brothers and brings them water to wash…
  2051. 7Worship of the Divine Mother and Worship of the Self; the Mantra "Destroyer of Danger", and a Dance
  2052. 8The Master has bathed in the Ganges and gone to the Kali temple, M. with him. Sitting at the place of worship, he lays flowers at the Mother's lotus f…
  2053. 9After a long time the Master rises from the seat. Overwhelmed with ecstasy, he is dancing, and repeating the Mother's name aloud. He is saying, "O Mot…
  2054. 10Earlier Days: Sri Ramakrishna and Nakur Babaji of Jhamapukur
  2055. 11Now the Master has come and sat down on the west verandah of his room. He is still in an ecstatic mood. Near him are Rakhal, M., Nakur the Vaishnava a…
  2056. 12Sri Ramakrishna in the Joy of Singing the Divine Mother's Name
  2057. 13In an ecstatic mood the Master sings:
  2058. 14Kirtan (1) Kali, Mother ever filled with bliss, enchantress of Mahakala's heart, You dance for Your own delight, Mother, and clap Your own hands in ti…
  2059. 15(2) My Mother, You indeed are Tara, You bear the three gunas, and are higher than the highest. I know You, Mother, as merciful to the lowly; in hard p…
  2060. 16(3) The treasure lies in the muddle; leave the muddle and pick out the treasure.
  2061. 17(4) Come, mind, let us go; no more business here; let us go to Tara's estate!
  2062. 18(5) The boat of my body, Mother, has fallen into the sea of the world and is sinking; the storm of maya and the gale of delusion keep rising, O Sankar…
  2063. 19(6) Mother and son, we tell each other a few of our sorrows. Some have a canopy on their elephant, some have rich curd on their flattened rice.
  2064. 20Sri Ramakrishna says to the devotees that it is not good to speak only of sorrow before worldly people. What is needed is joy. Those who lack food can…
  2065. 21"Vaishnavcharan used to say, 'Why keep on about sin, sin? Be joyful!'"
  2066. 22The Master had scarcely begun a short rest after his meal when Manohar Sain Goswami arrived.
  2067. 23Sri Ramakrishna Filled with Mahabhava in the Mood of Radha: Is the Master Gauranga!
  2068. 24The Goswami is singing a kirtan of purvaraga, the first stirrings of love. After hearing only a little, the Master is lost in the mood of Radha.
  2069. 25First comes the Gaurachandrika, the prelude in praise of Gaura: "His cheek on his palm, Gora is lost in thought. Why is he so troubled today? Perhaps…
  2070. 26The Goswami sings again:
  2071. 27A hundred times an hour, moment by moment, she goes out of the house and comes back in; how restless is her heart, how fast her breath; she gazes towa…
  2072. 28Hearing this line of the song, Sri Ramakrishna passes into mahabhava. He tears off his shirt and flings it away.
  2073. 29When the singer comes to:
  2074. 30Cool are his limbs. At the touch of his body, at once her limbs go limp!
  2075. 31In mahabhava the Master's body is trembling.
  2076. 32Looking at Kedar, the Master says to the tune of the kirtan: "Bring me Krishna, the lord of my life, the beloved of my heart. Surely that is what frie…
  2077. 33The Goswami singer is charmed to see the Master's state of mahabhava. With folded hands he says, "Please rid me of my worldly mind."
  2078. 34Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "The holy man has found himself a lodging!" You are such a rasika, a knower of sweetness; so much sweet rasa flows from you!
  2079. 35The Goswami: Lord, I am an ox carrying sugar. When have I ever tasted it?
  2080. 36The kirtan resumes. The singer describes Radha's state:
  2081. 37"The flocks of cuckoos make their sweet cry."
  2082. 38The sweet cry of the cuckoo sounds to Radha like thunder. That is why she calls on the name of Jaimini. And she says, "Friend, I shall not live throug…
  2083. 39The Goswami brought the kirtan to an end with a song of the union of Radha and Syam.
  2084. 1June 1883
  2085. 2Chapter One
  2086. 3In Calcutta: Sri Ramakrishna at the Houses of Balaram and Adhar
  2087. 4Sri Ramakrishna is coming in to Calcutta from the temple at Dakshineswar. He will call at Balaram's house and go on to Adhar's, and after that to Ram'…
  2088. 5As the carriage goes along, the Master says to Rakhal, M. and the other devotees, "You see, when love for Him comes, sin and all the rest run away, ju…
  2089. 6Worldly Attachment in the Monk and in the Householder
  2090. 7"If there is love for worldly things, for 'woman and gold', nothing is achieved. Even taking sannyas is no use if attachment to the world remains. It…
  2091. 8A little later, still in the carriage, the Master says, "The Brahmos do not accept God with form." Then, smiling: "Narendra calls it 'idolatry'! And h…
  2092. 9Sri Ramakrishna Seeing and Savouring God's Play as Man
  2093. 10The Master has reached Balaram's house.
  2094. 11Suddenly the Master is in ecstasy. It seems he is seeing that God alone has become the living beings and the world, that God alone is going about as m…
  2095. 12"Mother, the Brahmos of today have not tasted the sweet rasa. Their eyes are dry, their faces dry! Without loving devotion nothing has been gained.
  2096. 13"Mother, I asked You to give me a companion like myself. So I suppose You have given me Rakhal."
  2097. 14In the Joy of Hari's Kirtan at Adhar's House
  2098. 15The Master has come to Adhar's house. Preparations are under way for Manohar Sain's kirtan.
  2099. 16Many devotees and neighbours have come to Adhar's sitting-room to see the Master. Everyone hopes he will say something.
  2100. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Both the world and liberation are by God's will. It is He who keeps men in ignorance in the world, and again, when H…
  2101. 18"When He means to give liberation, He brings a man into the company of holy men. And He gives him a longing to reach Him."
  2102. 19A neighbour: Sir, what kind of longing?
  2103. 20Sri Ramakrishna: Like the longing a clerk feels when he has lost his job. Day after day he goes the round of the offices asking, "Is there a vacancy a…
  2104. 21"Moustache twirled, sitting there with one leg crossed over the other, chewing betel, not a worry in the world: in such a state a man does not attain…
  2105. 22The neighbour: Can this longing come through holy company?
  2106. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, it can, but not to the hardened unbeliever. The holy man's kamandalu went round all four great places of pilgrimage, and it was…
  2107. 24Now the kirtan has begun. The Goswami is singing the Kalahantarita:
  2108. 25Radha says, "Friend, my life is ebbing away; bring me Krishna!"
  2109. 26A friend: Radha, the cloud that is Krishna would have rained on you, but you blew the cloud away with the storm of your pride. You do not find your jo…
  2110. 27Radha: Friend, the pride was not mine. It has gone with the one whose pride it was.
  2111. 28Lalita puts in a word or two on Radha's behalf:
  2112. 29All of you together made her love him. . . . One of you showed him to her at the ghat and in the fields, Visakha showed him in a painting!
  2113. 30Next in the kirtan the Goswami tells how the friends went searching for Krishna near Radhakunda. Then follow: seeing Krishna on the bank of the Jamuna…
  2114. 31The Humanity of Avatars
  2115. 32The kirtan is over. Sri Ramakrishna is talking with the devotees.
  2116. 33Sri Ramakrishna: The gopis worshipped Katyayani. All are subject to Her, the Mahamaya, the Adyasakti. Even the Avatars take refuge in maya before they…
  2117. 34"After slaying Hiranyaksha, the Boar Avatar was living with his young ones. Forgetting who he was, he was suckling them! The gods took counsel togethe…
  2118. 35From Adhar's house the Master now goes on to Ram's. There he hears the story of Uddhava's message from the reciter. Kedar and other devotees are prese…
  2119. 1Chapter Two
  2120. 2Sri Ramakrishna at a Devotee's Home in Calcutta: in the Joy of Kirtan at Sri Ramchandra Datta's House
  2121. 3After hearing the Kalahantarita kirtan at Adhar's house, the Master has come to Ram's house. It is in Madhu Roy's Lane, Simulia.
  2122. 4Ramchandra had studied medicine and in time became assistant chemical examiner at the Medical College; he was also a teacher of chemistry at the Scien…
  2123. 5Ram first brought the Master to this family house for worship on the full-moon day of Baisakh, the day of the Phuldol, the swing festival of flowers.…
  2124. 6Today there is a festival at Ram's house! The Lord is coming. Ram has arranged for him to hear the nectar of the Srimad Bhagavata. The courtyard is sm…
  2125. 7The Story of King Harischandra, and Sri Ramakrishna
  2126. 8The story of King Harischandra went on. Vishvamitra said, "Great King! You have given me the whole earth with its seas; so there is no place in it for…
  2127. 9The moment the visit to Visvesvara was spoken of, the Master went completely into ecstasy, murmuring indistinctly, "Siva, Siva."
  2128. 10King Harischandra could not pay the fee, and so he had to sell Saivya. Their son Rohitasva stayed with her. The reciter told too of Rohitasva's gather…
  2129. 11Harischandra, because the fee was still not fully paid, has sold himself to a chandala. He sits at the burning-ground as a chandala, to see to the cre…
  2130. 12What is the Master doing? He is listening, quite still, utterly still. Only once a single tear rose at the corner of his eye, and he wiped it away. Wh…
  2131. 13At the end the reciter told of Vishvamitra's coming, Rohitasva's return to life, their all visiting Visvesvara and Harischandra's regaining his kingdo…
  2132. 14Liberation and Devotion; the Gopis' Love; the Gopis Did Not Want Liberation
  2133. 15The reciter said: On Uddhava's arrival in Vrindavan the herd-boys and the women of Vraja came running, eager to see him. They all asked, "Is Sri Krish…
  2134. 16Sri Ramakrishna listened to all this with his whole mind and was lost in ecstasy. He said, "The gopis spoke rightly." Saying this, in that sweet voice…
  2135. 17Liberation I do not grudge to give, but pure devotion I am loath to give.
  2136. 18Sri Ramakrishna, to the reciter: The gopis' devotion is prema-bhakti, loving devotion; it is devotion that never strays, single-minded devotion. Do yo…
  2137. 19"Do you know what it is like? Like the daughter-in-law of a family. Her husband's brothers, younger and elder, his father, the husband himself, she se…
  2138. 20"Two things go with this loving devotion, ahamta and mamata, the sense of 'I' and the sense of 'mine'. Yasoda would think, 'If I don't look after Gopa…
  2139. 21"What single-mindedness the gopis had! In Mathura, after much begging and pleading with the doorkeeper, they got into the court, and he took them to K…
  2140. 22"You see what single-mindedness they had! The mood of Vrindavan is altogether different. I have heard that near Dvaraka people worship Arjuna's Krishn…
  2141. 23The Gopis' Single-mindedness: Devotion with Knowledge and Loving Devotion
  2142. 24A devotee: Which is better, devotion mixed with knowledge, or loving devotion?
  2143. 25Sri Ramakrishna: Loving devotion does not come unless one loves God intensely. And there is the feeling that He is 'mine'. Three friends were passing…
  2144. 26"The man who said, 'We're done for', does not know that God is there to protect us. The one who said, 'Come, let us call on God', is a jnani; he knows…
  2145. 27Ram took the Master and the devotees upstairs and served them all kinds of sweets. The devotees too received the prasad with great joy.
  2146. 1Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Kali Temple Garden at Dakshineswar
  2147. 2Chapter Three
  2148. 3At Dakshineswar with the Devotees on the Day of the Phalaharini Puja: Manilal, Trailokya Biswas, Ram Chatterji, Balaram, Rakhal
  2149. 4It is the dark fourteenth of Jyaishtha today: Savitri Chaturdasi. It is also the new moon, and the Phalaharini Puja. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in his…
  2150. 5M. had come the day before, on Sunday. That night was the worship of Katyayani. Filled with love, the Master stood before the Mother in the natmandir…
  2151. 6You are heaven, Mother, You are earth, You are the nether world. From You came Hari and Brahma and the twelve Gopalas. The ten Mahavidyas, Mother, and…
  2152. 7The Master sang and talked with the Mother, utterly drunk with love! Returning to his room, he sat down on the small bedstead.
  2153. 8That night the Mother's name was sung until midnight.
  2154. 9On Monday morning Balaram and a few more devotees came. For the Phalaharini Puja the owners of the garden, Trailokya and others, had come with their h…
  2155. 10It is nine in the morning. The Master, his face smiling, is sitting on the round verandah overlooking the Ganges. M. is near him. Playfully the Master…
  2156. 11Trailokya passes in front on his way to see Mother Kali, an attendant holding an umbrella over him. The Master says to Rakhal, "Here, get up, get up."
  2157. 12The Master is sitting up. Trailokya greets him.
  2158. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to Trailokya: Well, was there no yatra last night?
  2159. 14Trailokya: No, it could not be managed very well this time.
  2160. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Well, what happened this time is done. See that it doesn't happen again! It is good to keep always to the custom that has been set.
  2161. 16Trailokya made a suitable reply and went away. Shortly afterwards the priest of the Vishnu shrine, Sri Ram Chatterji, arrived.
  2162. 17The Master: Ram! I told Trailokya, "There was no yatra; see that this doesn't happen again." Was it right of me to say that?
  2163. 18Ram Chatterji: Sir, what harm is there in that? You said just the right thing. Surely it ought always to be done as the custom is.
  2164. 19Sri Ramakrishna, to Balaram: Look here, you must eat here today.
  2165. 20A little before the meal the Master began to tell the devotees a great deal about his own state. Present were Rakhal, Balaram, M., Ramlal and a couple…
  2166. 21Annoyed with Hazra: Sri Ramakrishna, and Seeing God in Man
  2167. 22Sri Ramakrishna: And Hazra presumes to instruct me: "Why all this concern for the young lads?" On the way to Balaram's house in the carriage I fell in…
  2168. 23Sri Ramakrishna's First Meeting with Narendra
  2169. 24"I know these boys are Narayana Himself. I had my first meeting with Narendra. I saw he had no consciousness of the body. The moment I touched his che…
  2170. 25Chapter Four
  2171. 26Earlier Days: Sri Ramakrishna's Madness of Love, and His Visions of Forms
  2172. 27Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, what a state I passed through! When this state first came, I couldn't tell you how the days and nights went by. Everyone said I h…
  2173. 28Bholanath Mukhopadhyay, a clerk at the temple garden, who later became its treasurer.
  2174. 29Earlier Days: Worshipping a Young Woman and Worshipping Virgins; Watching the Ramlila; Seeing a Balloon on the Maidan; Feeding Cowherd Boys at Sihore;…
  2175. 30"What a state I passed through! The slightest thing would awaken my spirit at once. I worshipped a young woman as Sundari! A girl of fourteen. I saw t…
  2176. 31"I went to see the Ramlila. I saw at once that they were Sita, Rama, Lakshmana, Hanuman and Vibhishana themselves. Then I began to worship all those w…
  2177. 32"In those days I used to bring young girls and worship them. I saw that they were the Mother Herself.
  2178. 33"One day I saw a woman standing under the bakul tree, wearing a blue sari. She was a prostitute. In a flash Sita rose before my mind. I forgot all abo…
  2179. 34"Another day I had gone for a walk on the Maidan. A balloon was to go up, and there was a big crowd. Suddenly my eye fell on an English boy leaning ag…
  2180. 35"At Sihore I gave a feast to the cowherd boys, handing each his refreshment myself! I saw they were the very cowherd boys of Vraja. And I began to eat…
  2181. 36"I hardly kept any outward consciousness. Sejobabu took me to his house at Janbazar and kept me there some days. I began to see that I had become the…
  2182. 37"Even now the least thing awakens it. Rakhal would mumble as he did japa. I couldn't keep still when I saw it. God would rise before my mind at once a…
  2183. 38The Master went on to speak more of his mood as a woman. And he said, "I once showed a kirtan singer all the airs and graces of a woman kirtan singer.…
  2184. 39And with that the Master shows the devotees a woman kirtan singer's ways. No one could keep from laughing.
  2185. 40Chapter Five
  2186. 41With Manilal and Others: the Master, "an Ocean of Grace That Asks No Reason"
  2187. 42After the meal the Master is resting a little: not deep sleep, but a kind of doze. Sri Manilal Mallick, an old Brahmo, comes, makes his pranam and sit…
  2188. 43Manilal: Sivanath speaks highly of Nityagopal. He says his state is a fine one.
  2189. 44The Master is still lying down, sleep as it were still in his eyes. He asks, "What do they say about Hazra?" Then he sits up and tells Manilal of Bhav…
  2190. 45Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, what feeling he has! He has hardly begun to sing when tears come to his eyes. He went into ecstasy as soon as he saw Harish. He s…
  2191. 46He asks M., "Well, what is the cause of devotion? Why should these boys like Bhavanath feel God awakened in them?"
  2192. 47M. is silent.
  2193. 48Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know? Men all look alike, but some have a filling of thickened milk inside! A rice cake may have a filling of kalai dal or a f…
  2194. 49Liberation and Seeing One's Own Nature by the Guru's Grace; the Master Gives Fearlessness
  2195. 50Now the Master gives the devotees reassurance.
  2196. 51Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Some people think, "I shall never have knowledge or devotion; I am a bound soul." If the guru's grace comes, there is nothing…
  2197. 52"So when the guru's grace comes, there is no fear any more! He will show you what you are, what your own true nature is.
  2198. 53"With only a little sadhana the guru makes one understand: this is so, and this. Then one comes to see for oneself what is real and what is unreal: th…
  2199. 54Even Feigned Sadhana Is Good; One Liberated in Life Can Live in the World
  2200. 55"A fisherman was stealing fish one night, casting his net in a garden pond. The owner came to know of it and had the place surrounded by his men. They…
  2201. 56"Feigned sadhana alone brought him that much awakening. With real sadhana, what need to say more? One will understand what is real and what is unreal:…
  2202. 57A devotee is thinking: the world is passing? The fisherman, after all, gave up the world. What then of the people who live in the world? Are they to r…
  2203. 58So saying, Sri Ramakrishna gave fearlessness to people living in the world.
  2204. 59Chapter Six
  2205. 60Sri Ramakrishna with Manilal and Others, and Belief in the Formless
  2206. 61Manilal, to Sri Ramakrishna: When I do my daily devotions, where should I meditate on Him?
  2207. 62Sri Ramakrishna: The heart is a splendid place, as famous as the beat of a drum. Meditate there.
  2208. 63Faith Is Everything: Haladhari's Faith in the Formless; Sambhu's Faith
  2209. 64Manilal is a Brahmo and believes in God without form. Addressing him, the Master says, "Kabir used to say, 'With form, God is my mother; without form,…
  2210. 65"Haladhari would be with God with form by day and with the formless by night. Whichever attitude you take up, it is enough if your faith is firm. Beli…
  2211. 66Earlier Days: The First Madness; Is God the Doer, or Is It Chance?
  2212. 67"Sambhu Mallick used to walk from Baghbazar to his garden here. Someone said to him, 'It's such a long way; why don't you come by carriage? Something…
  2213. 68M. had studied English logic. He had read, in the Chapter on Fallacies, that the morning dream which comes true, the coincidence of dreams with actual…
  2214. 69M.: Well, did it ever happen that some things did not come true?
  2215. 70Sri Ramakrishna: "No, in those days everything came true. Whatever I believed, taking His name, would come to pass!" To Manilal: "But you know, unless…
  2216. 71"Bony people, people with sunken eyes, squint-eyed people: there are many such signs; such people do not come to faith easily. 'Plantain to the south,…
  2217. 72Compassion to Bhagavati the Maidservant: Sri Ramakrishna and the Dharma of Chastity
  2218. 73Dusk has fallen. A maidservant has come, burnt incense in the room and gone. Manilal and the others have left, but one or two devotees are still there…
  2219. 74After a while Bhagavati, a maidservant of the proprietors, comes and bows from a distance. The Master tells her to sit down. Bhagavati is a very old s…
  2220. 75Sri Ramakrishna: You're getting on in years now. The money you've earned: you're feeding holy men and Vaishnavas with it, I hope?
  2221. 76Bhagavati, with a little smile: How am I to tell you that?
  2222. 77Sri Ramakrishna: Kasi, Vrindavan: have you been to those places?
  2223. 78Bhagavati, a little shy: How am I to tell you that? I have had a bathing ghat built, and my name is written there on the stone.
  2224. 79Sri Ramakrishna: What are you saying?
  2225. 80Bhagavati: Yes, the name is written there: "Srimati Bhagavati Dasi."
  2226. 81Sri Ramakrishna, with a little smile: Good, good.
  2227. 82At this Bhagavati took courage and touched the Master's feet as she bowed.
  2228. 83As a man starts up as if stung by a scorpion and jumps to his feet in agitation, so Sri Ramakrishna sprang up, agitated, repeating "Govinda, Govinda".…
  2229. 84The one or two devotees in the room watch all this with fixed eyes, astonished and stunned. The maidservant sits there more dead than alive. Sri Ramak…
  2230. 85He sings to her:
  2231. 86(1) The bee of my mind is lost in the blue lotus of Syama's feet. (In the blue lotus of Syama's feet, in the blue lotus of Kali's feet.)
  2232. 87(2) The kite of my mind was flying in the sky of Syama's feet; caught by an ill wind of sin, it spun and came crashing down.
  2233. 88(3) Stay within yourself, my mind; go to no one else's house. Sit still and you will find whatever you want; search within your own inner chamber. Tha…
  2234. 1Chapter Seven
  2235. 2Sri Ramakrishna Speaks of His First Madness of Love
  2236. 3Earlier Days: Devendra Tagore, Dina Mukherji and Kumar Singh
  2237. 4It is the new moon still: Tuesday, the fifth of June, 1883. Sri Ramakrishna is staying at the Kalibari. Devotees gather in numbers mostly on Sundays,…
  2238. 5On Monday night there had been a Krishna yatra in the natmandir of Mother Kali, and the Master had listened to it for a while. The yatra was to have b…
  2239. 6After the midday meal the Master is again describing his own state in the madness of love.
  2240. 7Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What a state I passed through! I wouldn't eat here. I would turn up at some brahmin's house, in Baranagore or Dakshineswar or…
  2241. 8"One day I got it into my head: 'I'll go to Devendra Tagore's house.' I said to Sejobabu that Devendra took the name of God and I wanted to see him; w…
  2242. 9"One day I heard that near the Baghbazar bridge there lived a good man, a devotee, called Dina Mukherji. I pressed Sejobabu, saying I would go to Dina…
  2243. 10"What a state I passed through! Kumar Singh was to give a feast to holy men, and he invited me. When I got there I found many sadhus had come. After I…
  2244. 11Chapter Eight
  2245. 12Talk with Hazra: a Dialogue of Guru and Disciple
  2246. 13It is five in the afternoon. The Master is sitting on the steps at the corner of the verandah. Rakhal, Hazra and M. are sitting near him. Hazra's atti…
  2247. 14Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: Yes, all the confusion is cleared up: it is He who is the believer and He the unbeliever; He is the good and He the bad; He…
  2248. 15"A farmer had a son late in life, and he took great care of the boy. In time the son grew up. One day the farmer was working in the field when someone…
  2249. 16"God alone is the doer; all is happening by His will."
  2250. 17Hazra: But it is very hard to understand. Think how the sadhu of Bhukailas was tortured and more or less killed. They had found him in samadhi. Now th…
  2251. 18Problem of Evil and the Immortality of the Soul
  2252. 19Sri Ramakrishna: Each will reap the fruit of whatever he does. But it was by God's will that the sadhu gave up his body. The kavirajes make makaradhva…
  2253. 20The Difference between a Holy Man and an Avatar
  2254. 21"The holy man at Bhukailas was in samadhi. Samadhi is of many sorts. My state had matched what the sadhu of Hrishikesh said. Sometimes I feel the vita…
  2255. 22"Unless one is an Isvarakoti, an Avatar or the like, one does not come back after samadhi. Some souls reach samadhi by the power of their sadhana, but…
  2256. 23M., to himself: Is the key to men's liberation in the Master's hands?
  2257. 24Hazra: All that matters is to please God. Whether there is an Avatar or not.
  2258. 25Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: Yes, yes. The head registry office is at Bishnupur; if you can get registered there, there's no more trouble at Goghat.
  2259. 26Dialogue of Guru and Disciple: the Nectar of His Life, Told by Himself
  2260. 27Today is Tuesday, the new moon. Dusk has fallen. Arati is being performed in the temple garden. From the twelve Siva shrines and the shrines of Radhak…
  2261. 28Sri Ramakrishna: You know, God can be seen! A certain person has had the vision; but tell no one. Now tell me, do you prefer God with form, or the for…
  2262. 29Mani: Sir, just now I rather like the formless. But bit by bit I'm coming to see that He alone has become all these forms.
  2263. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Look, will you take me in a carriage to Moti Seal's lake at Belgharia? Throw puffed rice in there and all the fish will come and eat…
  2264. 31"To see Him one needs sadhana. I had to do severe sadhana. Under the bel tree I went through so many kinds of sadhana. I would lie at the foot of the…
  2265. 32Mani: You did so much sadhana; can others get there in a moment? Does a wall go up just because you draw a finger round a house?
  2266. 33Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Amrita says that when one person lights a fire, ten warm themselves at it! And another thing: it is good, after reaching the…
  2267. 34Mani: You have said the Lila is for enjoyment.
  2268. 35Sri Ramakrishna: No. The Lila too is real. And look here: when you come, bring a little something in your hand. One shouldn't say this oneself; it mak…
  2269. 36The Path of Knowledge and Unbelief: Philosophy and Scepticism
  2270. 37"Knowledge and devotion are both paths. On the path of devotion one has to keep a little more to the rules of conduct. On the path of knowledge, if so…
  2271. 38"The jnani's path is the path of reasoning. Reasoning on and on, a mood of unbelief may come over one now and then. If the devotee has a heartfelt lon…
  2272. 39The Master is lying with his head on a bolster, talking. Now and then he says to Mani, "My leg aches a little; rub it gently with your hand, will you?…
  2273. 40Serving the holy lotus feet of that guru, that ocean of grace that asks no reason, he was listening to the sound of the Vedas from those holy lips.
  2274. 1Chapter Nine
  2275. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Temple at Dakshineswar, among Devotees: Sri Rakhal, Ram, Kedar, Tarak, M. and Others
  2276. 3In the Dakshineswar Temple: the Worship of the Master's Feet
  2277. 4After the evening arati today Sri Ramakrishna is standing before the image of the Goddess in the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, gazing at Her and, takin…
  2278. 5It is summer: Friday, the bright third of Jyaishtha, the eighth of June, 1883. Today, after dusk, Ram, Kedar Chatterji and Tarak have come from Calcut…
  2279. 6Sri Kedar must be about fifty. He is a great devotee; at any talk of God his eyes swim with tears! At first he used to go to the Brahmo Samaj; then, a…
  2280. 7Sri Tarak must be twenty-four years old. He had married, but lost his wife a short time later. His home is in the village of Barasat. His father is a…
  2281. 8Tarak is always going to Ram's house, and with Ram and Nityagopal he often comes to see the Master. He still works in an office. But his mood is alway…
  2282. 9Sri Ramakrishna came out of the Kali temple and prostrated himself on the platform before the Mother. He saw Ram, M., Kedar, Tarak and other devotees…
  2283. 10Affection for Sri Tarak. Kedar and Woman and Gold
  2284. 11The Master is fondling Tarak, holding him by the chin. He is overjoyed to see him.
  2285. 12In an ecstatic mood the Master is sitting on the floor of his room, his feet stretched out. Ram and Kedar have decked his holy feet with all kinds of…
  2286. 13Kedar's is the attitude of the Navarasikas. He is holding the big toe of the Master's foot, in the belief that in this way power will be transmitted.…
  2287. 14Sri Ramakrishna, to Kedar, in ecstasy: Woman and gold pull at your mind. What good is it to say with your lips that your mind is not on them?
  2288. 15"Go forward. Beyond the sandalwood there is more: a silver mine, a gold mine, diamonds and rubies. Don't think, because a little awakening has come, t…
  2289. 16The Master is talking with the Mother again. He says, "Mother, take him away."
  2290. 17Kedar's throat goes dry. He says fearfully to Ram, "What is the Master saying?"
  2291. 18The Avatar and His Companions
  2292. 19Seeing Sri Rakhal, the Master again goes into ecstasy. In that state he addresses Rakhal:
  2293. 20"I came here long ago! When did you come?"
  2294. 21Is the Master hinting that he is an Avatar of God, and Rakhal one of his companions, an intimate?
  2295. 1Chapter Ten
  2296. 2At Dakshineswar with Devotees from Maniramapur and Belgharia
  2297. 3Sri Ramakrishna Tells of His Own Life
  2298. 4Sri Ramakrishna is in his room in the Dakshineswar temple garden, now standing, now sitting, talking with the devotees. Today is Sunday, the bright fi…
  2299. 5The Master is telling of his own life and of earlier days.
  2300. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: In my boyhood in the village everyone loved me, men and women alike. They would listen to my singing. I could mimic…
  2301. 7"But I was a dove of happy times. I would come and go where I saw a good, happy household. From a house where I saw sorrow and trouble, I would run aw…
  2302. 8"If I saw one or two good fellows among the boys, I would make great friends with them; with some I made a pact of friendship. But now they are thorou…
  2303. 9"At school, Subhankar's arithmetic baffled me! But I could draw pictures well, and I could make little images of the gods very nicely."
  2304. 10Fond of charitable houses : and of Ramayana and Mahabharata
  2305. 11"Wherever I saw a free kitchen or a rest-house for travellers I would go and stand there watching for a long time.
  2306. 12"Wherever the Ramayana or the Bhagavata was being read, I would sit and listen. But if the reader read with airs, I would mimic him and perform it for…
  2307. 13"I understood women's ways very well, and I would mimic their speech and their tones. A child widow answering her father, 'I'm co-ming!' The women on…
  2308. 14"Enough of the worldly."
  2309. 15He asks Ramlal to sing, and Sri Ramlal sings:
  2310. 16(1) Who is this Woman, dark as a rain-cloud, dancing on the battlefield, like a new lotus floating on a lake of blood?
  2311. 17Now Ramlal sings Mandodari's lament after the slaying of Ravana:
  2312. 18(2) What have you done, my lord! The heart of a helpless woman, beloved, will find no peace but in death.
  2313. 19Sri Ramakrishna Overwhelmed by Rama's Name; the Gopis' Love
  2314. 20As he listens to the last song the Master sheds tears and says, "I heard that song when I had gone to answer nature's call under the tamarisk trees; a…
  2315. 21(3) I have heard that Rama is Brahman the Saviour; this matted-haired Rama is no man. Did you steal his Sita, father, to destroy your own line?
  2316. 22Seeing Akrura seat Sri Krishna in the chariot to take him to Mathura, the gopis have clung to the chariot wheels, and some have thrown themselves down…
  2317. 23(4) Do not, do not hold the chariot wheel; does a chariot run on its wheels? Hari is the wheel-holder of that wheel, by whose wheel the world goes rou…
  2318. 24Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: What love the gopis had, what prema! With her own hand Radha painted Sri Krishna, yet left out his feet, for fear he…
  2319. 25"I used to sing these songs a great deal as a boy. I could sing the whole of a yatra play. Some people used to say I had been in a troupe that played…
  2320. 26A devotee has come wearing a new shawl. Rakhal, boy that he is, fetches a pair of scissors and is going to cut off the threads at its edge. The Master…
  2321. 27A little later the Master says to the devotee, "Go and bathe in the Ganges. Give him some oil, someone."
  2322. 28When he came back from his bath, the Master took a mango from the shelf and gave it to him, saying: I give this mango to him; he has passed three exam…
  2323. 29The devotee: Yes, the medicine has taken effect. Now if only it lasts.
  2324. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Can you find him some work? Then you'll be his patron.
  2325. 31The devotee: When he is well, everything will be easy.
  2326. 32Chapter Eleven
  2327. 33Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees from Maniramapur
  2328. 34After his meal the Master has sat down for a little on the small cot; he has not yet had time to rest. Devotees begin to arrive. First a party of devo…
  2329. 35The devotees from Maniramapur say, "We have disturbed your rest."
  2330. 36Sri Ramakrishna says, "No, no. That's all talk of rajas: 'Now he will sleep!'"
  2331. 37"Chanak, Maniramapur": hearing this, the Master is reminded of Sriram, his boyhood friend. He says, "Sriram's shop is out your way. Back in the villag…
  2332. 38The devotees from Maniramapur say, "Please be kind and tell us a little: by what means can God be reached?"
  2333. 39Teaching for the Devotee from Maniramapur: Practise Spiritual Disciplines and Long for God
  2334. 40Sri Ramakrishna: One has to practise a little spiritual discipline.
  2335. 41"It is not enough just to say there is butter in milk. You must set the milk as curd and churn it to get the butter out. But now and then one needs a…
  2336. 42"The main thing is faith. 'As the feeling, so the gain; the root of it is faith.' Once faith has come, there is nothing more to fear."
  2337. 43A devotee from Maniramapur: Sir, is a guru necessary?
  2338. 44Sri Ramakrishna: For many people it is. Still, the guru's word must be believed. It works only if one looks on the guru as God. That is why the Vaishn…
  2339. 45"One must chant His name all the time. In the Kaliyuga the glory is in the name. Life depends on food, and so yoga is not possible. Chant His name and…
  2340. 46"The company of the holy is always needed. Go closer to the Ganges and the breeze grows cooler; go closer to a fire and the heat grows stronger.
  2341. 47"A slow, dawdling pace won't do. Those who still want to enjoy the world say, 'It will come; sometime or other we shall reach God.'
  2342. 48"I told Keshab Sen: if a father sees his son restless, he hands him his share three years early.
  2343. 49"The yogi should constantly concentrate his mind, staying in solitude." Gita 6.10
  2344. 50The need of a guru: ". . . a man who has a teacher knows . . ." Chandogya Upanishad 6.14.2
  2345. 51"The mother is cooking, and the baby is lying down. She has given it a pacifier and gone. When the child throws away the pacifier and screams and crie…
  2346. 52"In the Kaliyuga, they say, if one weeps for one day and one night, one sees God.
  2347. 53"Feel hurt with Him in your heart, and say, 'You have created me; You must show Yourself to me.'
  2348. 54"Whether you live in the world or anywhere else, God looks at the mind. The worldly mind is a wet match; rub it as much as you please, it will not cat…
  2349. 55"Go forward. The woodcutter went forward and found sandalwood, then a silver mine and a gold mine; going on further he found diamonds and rubies.
  2350. 56"Ignorant people live as it were in a mud-walled room. There is little light inside, and they cannot see anything outside. One who has gained knowledg…
  2351. 57Brahman and the Divine Mother Are One
  2352. 58"There is nothing but the One. As long as that Supreme Brahman keeps the 'I', so long does He show that He is creating, preserving and destroying as t…
  2353. 59"That which is Brahman is the Primal Power. Once a king demanded knowledge, and in one word. 'Very well,' the yogi answered, 'one word it shall be.' A…
  2354. 60Chapter Twelve
  2355. 61With the Devotees from Belgharia
  2356. 62Govinda Mukherji and other devotees have come from Belgharia. On the day the Master visited his house he had gone into samadhi on hearing the singer's…
  2357. 63(1) No one is to blame, O Mother; I drown, Syama, in the waters of a well I dug myself.
  2358. 64(2) Don't touch me, O Death; I have lost my caste. And if, O Death, you ask what took my caste: the dark All-Destroyer has made me a sannyasi.
  2359. 65Ragini Multan (3) Awake, awake, O Mother! How long have You slept in the Muladhara, Kulakundalini? Rise, Mother, to do Your work, into the head, where…
  2360. 66Sri Ramakrishna: This song speaks of piercing the six centres. God is outside and inside. He dwells within and brings about the mind's different state…
  2361. 67"Unless maya steps aside from the door, God is not seen. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are on the road together, Rama leading, Sita in the middle, Lakshman…
  2362. 68"There is the Vedanta view and the Purana view. Vedanta says, 'This world is a dhokar tati, a screen of deception'; that is, the world is all a mistak…
  2363. 69"As long as He has kept the sense of 'I', everything is there, and there is no saying that it is like a dream. Because the fire is lit below, the dal,…
  2364. 701. "Those who take refuge in Me alone cross over this maya." Gita 7.14
  2365. 71"So the scriptures of devotion call this very world 'a mansion of mirth'. One of Ramprasad's songs says, 'This world is a screen of deception.' And so…
  2366. 72"But by the view of devotion there are differences of power. It is Rama who has become all, but in some places there is more power and in others less.…
  2367. 73Chapter Thirteen
  2368. 74Teaching for the Devotee from Belgharia: Pray with Longing; the Signs of a True Devotee
  2369. 75A devotee from Belgharia: Please be gracious to us.
  2370. 761 "Hatred, shame, fear, apprehension (grief?), concealment, and fifthly. . . ; lineage, conduct and caste: these are declared to be the eight fetters.…
  2371. 77Sri Ramakrishna: He is within everyone. But send your petition to the gas company, and your house will be connected.
  2372. 78"But you have to pray with longing. It is said that when three pulls come together, God is seen: 'the mother's pull towards her child, the chaste wife…
  2373. 79"There are signs of a true devotee. He hears the guru's teaching and becomes still. Before Behula's song a true snake keeps still and listens, but not…
  2374. 80"Another sign. The true devotee has mastered his senses and conquered lust. The gopis had no lust.
  2375. 81"What if you do live in the world? It is even more convenient for spiritual practice, like fighting from inside a fort. When a man practises sadhana w…
  2376. 82"Those who have a little enjoyment still left will call on Him while living in the world. Nitai's prescription was: 'Magur-fish curry, the lap of a yo…
  2377. 83"The true renouncer is another matter. The bee will settle on nothing but a flower. To the chataka bird all other water is dirt; it will drink none of…
  2378. 84"You have come here with so much trouble; you are searching for God. Most people are content to see the garden; one or two look for the owner of the g…
  2379. 85Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, and the Devotees from Belgharia: Piercing the Six Centres, and Samadhi
  2380. 86Pointing to the singer: He sang the song of the six centres. All that is the talk of yoga: Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. The Hatha yogi does certain physi…
  2381. 87"The seven planes of Vedanta and the six centres of Yoga largely agree. The first three planes of the Vedas correspond to their Muladhara, Svadhishtha…
  2382. 88"Once the mind has climbed to the fifth plane, the only wish is to hear of God. This is the Visuddha centre. The sixth plane is the same as the Ajna c…
  2383. 89"From the fifth plane King Janaka gave instruction in brahmajnana. He lived sometimes on the fifth plane, sometimes on the sixth.
  2384. 90"After the six centres are pierced comes the seventh plane. Reaching there the mind merges and is gone; jivatma and Paramatma are one: this is samadhi…
  2385. 91"Trailanga Swami said that through reasoning one is aware of the many, of the manifold. After samadhi, in the end, death comes in twenty-one days.
  2386. 92"But unless the Kundalini is awakened, spiritual consciousness does not come."
  2387. 93The Signs of Having Seen God
  2388. 94"One who has attained God has certain signs. He becomes like a child, like a madman, like an inert thing, like a ghoul. And he truly feels, 'I am the…
  2389. 95Dusk is almost here. The Master has not rested even once; talk of God has gone on with the devotees without a break. Now the devotees from Maniramapur…
  2390. 1Chapter Fourteen
  2391. 2At Dakshineswar on the Day of Dashahara: Talk of the Householder's Life Rakhal, Adhar, M., Rakhal's Father, His Father's Father-in-law and Others
  2392. 3Today is Dashahara: Friday, the second of Asharh, the bright tenth of Jyaishtha, the fifteenth of June, 1883. Devotees have come to the Kali temple ga…
  2393. 4Rakhal's father and his father-in-law have come; Rakhal's father had married a second time. The father-in-law has long heard of the Master. He is a ma…
  2394. 5The father-in-law: Sir, can God be attained in the householder's life?
  2395. 6Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Why not? Live like the pankal fish: it lives in mud, yet no mud clings to it. And live like the unchaste woman: she does all…
  2396. 7The Way: Intense Dispassion. Earlier Days: Meeting Gangaprasad
  2397. 8A devotee: Sir, then what is the way?
  2398. 9Sri Ramakrishna: There is a way. If intense dispassion comes, then it can be done. What you know to be false, give it up at once, with determination.…
  2399. 10"One has to live in solitude for a while. Once you have touched the 'granny', there's no more fear. Once you have become gold, live where you like. If…
  2400. 11Sin and Virtue; Sannyasa, the Great Remedy for the Disease of Worldliness
  2401. 12A devotee: If God is doing everything, why do people speak of good and bad, sin and virtue? Then sin too is His will?
  2402. 13Rakhal's father's father-in-law: How can we understand His will?
  2403. 14"Thou Great First Cause least understood"—Pope.
  2404. 15Sri Ramakrishna: There is sin and there is virtue, but He Himself is unattached. Every kind of smell, good and bad, is carried on the air, but the air…
  2405. 16The talk turned again to the householder's life.
  2406. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "You know, if one lives the worldly life, the mind gets frittered away. The loss the mind suffers from this fritteri…
  2407. 18"In the world it is not only lust that one has to fear. There is anger too. When a thorn falls in the path of desire, anger comes."
  2408. 19M.: When a cat reaches out a paw for the fish beside my plate, I can't say a thing.
  2409. 20Sri Ramakrishna: Why not! What harm if you strike it once? A man of the world should hiss. He shouldn't pour out venom; he must not harm anyone in dee…
  2410. 211 Except ye be born again ye cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven: Christ.
  2411. 22A devotee: Sir, I find it very hard to reach Him in the world. How many people can be like that? Where are they! I don't see any.
  2412. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Why not? I've heard that in that part of the country there is a deputy magistrate, a fine man: Pratap Singh. Charity, meditation, dev…
  2413. 24Chapter Fifteen
  2414. 25The Need of Spiritual Practice; Faith in the Guru's Word; Vyasa's Faith
  2415. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Spiritual discipline is very necessary. But why shouldn't one succeed? If there is real faith, there is no need to labour much. Faith…
  2416. 27"Vyasadeva was going to cross the Jamuna, and the gopis came there. They too wanted to cross, but no ferry was to be had. The gopis said, 'Master, wha…
  2417. 28"That is firm faith. 'Not I, but Narayana within the heart: it is He who has eaten.'
  2418. 29"Sankaracharya was a knower of Brahman, and yet at the beginning he had the sense of difference too; his faith was not so strong. A chandala was comin…
  2419. 30"Jadabharata was carrying King Rahugana's palanquin when he began to speak of the knowledge of the Self. Stepping down from it the king asked, 'Who ar…
  2420. 31Sri Ramakrishna and the Truth of Yoga: Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga
  2421. 32"'I am He', 'I am the pure Self': this is the jnanis' view. Devotees say all these are God's riches. Without riches, who would know the rich man? But…
  2422. 33"The point is this: unless the mind is still there is no yoga, whatever path you take. The mind is under the yogi's control; the yogi is not under the…
  2423. 34"When the mind is still the breath becomes still: that is kumbhaka. This kumbhaka comes through bhakti yoga too; through devotion the breath becomes s…
  2424. 35"A man is sweeping when someone comes and says, 'Hey, so-and-so is gone; he's dead!' If the dead man is no relation of the sweeper's, he goes on sweep…
  2425. 36The Signs of a Jnani; Perfect through Practice and Ever-perfect
  2426. 37"Merely saying 'So'ham, so'ham' is not enough. A jnani has his signs. Narendra's eyes are prominent. This one's forehead and eyes also have good signs…
  2427. 38"And not everyone is in the same state. Souls are said to be of four kinds: the bound, the seekers after freedom, the free and the ever-perfect. It is…
  2428. 39"For the ever-perfect like Prahlada, spiritual practice comes afterwards. They attain God before their practice; as with the gourd and the pumpkin, th…
  2429. 40Differences of Power, and Vidyasagar: Mere Scholarship
  2430. 41"To one He has given more power, to another less. In one place a lamp burns, in another a torch. From one word of Vidyasagar's I knew him: how far his…
  2431. 1Chapter Sixteen
  2432. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Dakshineswar
  2433. 3The Tantrika Devotee and the World; Even the Unattached Have Cause for Fear
  2434. 4After his meal Sri Ramakrishna has rested a little in his room in the Dakshineswar temple garden. Adhar and M. have come and bowed to him. A Tantrika…
  2435. 5Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Why shouldn't it be possible in the world? But it is very hard. Janaka and others came into the world after attainin…
  2436. 6"I have seen that when a worldly devotee is doing his worship in his silk cloth, he is in a fine mood. The same mood holds even until his breakfast. T…
  2437. 7"Through sattva one comes to devotion. But devotion too has its sattva, its rajas and its tamas. The sattva of devotion is pure sattva: then the mind…
  2438. 8The Paramahamsa Transcends the Gunas, the Fruits of Karma, Sin and Virtue; Keshab Sen and His Party
  2439. 9"The paramahamsa is beyond the three gunas. The three gunas are in him, and yet they are not. He is just like a child, under the sway of no guna. That…
  2440. 10"A paramahamsa cannot lay anything by. That is not for worldly people; they have to save for their families."
  2441. 11The Tantrika devotee: Has the paramahamsa any sense of sin and virtue?
  2442. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Keshab Sen asked that very question. I said, "If I say any more, your following and all that will not last." Keshab said, "Then let i…
  2443. 13"Do you know what sin and virtue are? In the paramahamsa state one sees that it is He who gives good understanding and He who gives evil understanding…
  2444. 14The Tantrika devotee: Yes, sir. On the hills one sees fields of roses, nothing but roses as far as the eye can reach.
  2445. 15Sri Ramakrishna: The paramahamsa sees that it is all the glory of His maya: the real and the unreal, the good and the bad, sin and virtue. That is all…
  2446. 16The Tantrika Devotee and the Fruits of Action, Sin and Virtue: Sin and Responsibility
  2447. 17The Tantrika devotee: Then there are fruits of action?
  2448. 181 "Whoever serves Me with the yoga of a devotion that never wavers passes beyond these gunas and is fit to become Brahman." Gita 14.26
  2449. 19Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, there are. Do good deeds and you reap good fruit; do bad deeds and you reap bad fruit. If you eat chillies, won't your mouth bur…
  2450. 20The Tantrika devotee: What is the way for us? The fruits of action are there, aren't they?
  2451. 21Sri Ramakrishna: What if they are? His devotee is another matter.
  2452. 22So saying, he sings:
  2453. 23You know nothing of farming, O my mind! Such a field as this human birth lies fallow; had you tilled it, it would have yielded gold. Fence it round wi…
  2454. 24He sings again:
  2455. 25The road by which Death comes is closed; the doubts of my mind are gone. Four Sivas keep watch at the nine doors of my dwelling. The house stands on a…
  2456. 26"In Kasi, whether it is a brahmin who dies or a prostitute, either one becomes Siva.
  2457. 27"When tears come to the eyes at the name of Hari, of Kali, of Rama, then there is no need at all of sandhya, of kavachas and the like. Action falls aw…
  2458. 28The Master sings again:
  2459. 29Think, and the feeling rises. As is the feeling, so the gain; the root of it is faith. If the mind stays in the nectar-lake of Kali's feet (if the min…
  2460. 30The Master sings again:
  2461. 31Why should he who says "Kali" at the three twilights want worship or twilight prayer? The twilight prayer goes looking for him, but never finds a way…
  2462. 32"If one is lost in Him, no wrong thinking, no thought of sin remains."
  2463. 33The Tantrika devotee: As you have said, the "I of vidya" remains.
  2464. 34Sri Ramakrishna: "What remains is the 'I of vidya', the devotee's 'I', the 'I' that is a servant, the good 'I'. The 'rascal I' goes." Laughter.
  2465. 35The Tantrika devotee: Yes, sir, many of our doubts have gone.
  2466. 36Sri Ramakrishna: When the Self is realized, every doubt is dispelled.
  2467. 37The Tantrika Devotee and the Tamas of Devotion; the Doubts of the Luckless; the Eight Powers
  2468. 38"Bring in the tamas of devotion. Say, 'What! I have said "Rama", I have said "Kali"; how can there be bondage for me, how can there be the fruits of a…
  2469. 39The Master sings again:
  2470. 40If I die saying "Durga, Durga", Mother, how in the end You can fail to save this poor one, O Sankari, we shall see. Though I kill a cow or a brahmin,…
  2471. 41Sri Ramakrishna says again: "Faith! Faith! Faith! The guru has said, 'It is Rama who has become all': 'That Rama lies in every pot!' A dog is going of…
  2472. 42"The luckless have no faith! Always doubt! Unless the Self is realized, not all doubts go.
  2473. 43"Pure devotion: there is no desire in it at all. By that devotion He is quickly reached.
  2474. 44"The powers such as becoming as small as an atom: all these are desires. Krishna said to Arjuna, 'Brother, if even one of these powers remains, God is…
  2475. 45The Tantrika devotee: Sir, why do Tantric rites not bear fruit nowadays?
  2476. 46Sri Ramakrishna: They are not done completely, and they are not done with devotion; that is why they bear no fruit.
  2477. 47Now the Master brings the talk to a close. He says that devotion alone is the essence; the true devotee has no fear and no anxiety. The Mother knows e…
  2478. 481 "All doubts are cut asunder . . . when He who is both high and low is seen." Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.8
  2479. 1Sri Ramakrishna at the Panihati Festival, among Devotees: Rakhal, Ram, M., Bhavanath and Others
  2480. 2Chapter Seventeen
  2481. 3The Master in the Joy of Sankirtan: Is the Master Sri Gauranga?
  2482. 4Sri Ramakrishna is dancing among the sankirtan party on the crowded high road at the festival grounds of Panihati. It is one in the afternoon. Today i…
  2483. 5People stand in rows on every side to see the Master in the midst of the sankirtan. He dances, drunk with love, and some think: Has Sri Gauranga appea…
  2484. 6The Goswami of Navadvip was on his way to Raghava's temple, singing sankirtan with his party, when the Master came from somewhere like an arrow. Now h…
  2485. 7This is Raghava Pandit's festival of flattened rice. Every year it falls on the waxing thirteenth. Raghunath Das first held this festival; after him R…
  2486. 8The Master comes almost every year, and today too he was to come here with Ram and other devotees. Ram had come in the morning from Calcutta to Dakshi…
  2487. 9The carriage went by the Magazine Road and came out on the big road to Chanak, the Trunk Road. As they drove along the Master joked and played a great…
  2488. 10Sri Ramakrishna's Mahabhava at the Panihati Festival
  2489. 11The moment the carriage reached the festival grounds at Panihati, Ram and the other devotees were astonished to see the Master, who had been making me…
  2490. 12The Master is dancing in a half-conscious state. When he comes to outward consciousness he takes up the Name:
  2491. 13Song: Here are the two brothers who weep as they say "Hari"! Here are the two brothers who dance themselves and make the world dance! (Who weep themse…
  2492. 14All are dancing with the Master as if mad, and they feel that Gaura and Nitai are dancing before their eyes.
  2493. 15The Master takes up the Name again:
  2494. 16Song: Nadia sways and rocks on the waves of Gaura's love!
  2495. 17The wave of sankirtan moves on towards Raghava's temple. After circling the temple and dancing there, and bowing before the images of Sri Sri Radha an…
  2496. 18Part of the sankirtan party is entering the house of Sri Sri Radhakrishna; most people cannot get in, and only push and peer at the door.
  2497. 19Dancing in the Courtyard of Sri Sri Radhakrishna
  2498. 20The Master is dancing again in the courtyard of Sri Sri Radhakrishna, utterly drunk with the joy of kirtan, now and then passing into samadhi. Flowers…
  2499. 21The thousands of men and women gathered at the Panihati festival are thinking that Sri Gauranga has surely shown Himself in this great soul. One or tw…
  2500. 22A great crowd had gathered in the small courtyard. With great care the devotees brought Sri Ramakrishna out.
  2501. 23Sri Ramakrishna in Sri Mani Sen's Sitting Room
  2502. 24The Master came with the devotees to Sri Mani Sen's sitting room and sat down. It is this Sen family that maintains the worship of Sri Sri Radhakrishn…
  2503. 25When the Master had rested a little, Mani Sen and their guru, the Goswami of Navadvip, took him to another room, brought prasad and served him. A litt…
  2504. 26Chapter Eighteen
  2505. 27Teaching for Sri Navadvip Goswami
  2506. 28Sri Gauranga's Mahabhava, His Love, and His Three States
  2507. 29Afternoon. The Master is sitting in Mani Sen's sitting room with Rakhal, Ram and other devotees. The Goswami of Navadvip, having taken his meal and re…
  2508. 30Sri Mani Sen wanted to pay the Master's carriage hire. The Master was sitting on a couch in the sitting room and said, "Why should they, Ram and the o…
  2509. 31Now the Master talks of God with the Goswami of Navadvip.
  2510. 32Sri Ramakrishna, to Navadvip: When devotion ripens, there is bhava; then mahabhava; then prema; then the attainment of the Reality, the attainment of…
  2511. 33"Gauranga had mahabhava and prema.
  2512. 34"When this love comes, the world is of course forgotten. Even one's own body, so dear to one, is forgotten. Gauranga had this love. He saw the sea, to…
  2513. 35"Ordinary souls do not attain mahabhava or prema; they go only as far as bhava. And Gauranga had three states. Isn't that so?"
  2514. 36Navadvip: Yes, sir: the inward state, the half-outward state, and the outward state.
  2515. 37Sri Ramakrishna: In the inward state he would be in samadhi. In the half-outward state he could only dance. In the outward state he would sing the Nam…
  2516. 38Navadvip brought his son and introduced him to the Master. The son is a young man who studies the scriptures. He bowed to the Master.
  2517. 39Navadvip: He reads the scriptures at home. In this country the Vedas were hardly to be had. Max Müller printed them, and so people read them now.
  2518. 40Scholarship and Scripture: One Must Learn the Essence of the Scriptures
  2519. 41Sri Ramakrishna: Reading too many scriptures does more harm.
  2520. 42"The essence of scripture has to be grasped. Once you have it, why go on with books?
  2521. 43"Learn just the essence, and then dive deep, to reach God.
  2522. 44"The Mother has made known to me that the essence of Vedanta is: Brahman is real, the world unreal. And the essence of the Gita? What you get by sayin…
  2523. 45Navadvip: Strictly it isn't "tyagi" but "tagi". Still, it means the same. The root tag with the suffix ghañ gives tāga; then the suffix in is added: t…
  2524. 46Sri Ramakrishna: The essence of the Gita means: O soul, give up all and strive in sadhana to attain God.
  2525. 47Navadvip: But where is the mind to renounce?
  2526. 48Sri Ramakrishna: You are Goswamis; you have the worship of the deity to look after. It won't do for you to give up the world; then who would serve the…
  2527. 49"He Himself keeps you in the world for the teaching of others. Think what you will, renounce you cannot; such is the nature He has put in you that the…
  2528. 50"Krishna says to Arjuna: 'You won't fight, you say? You can't keep out of the fight just because you want to. Your own nature will make you fight.'"
  2529. 51Sri Ramakrishna in Samadhi; Yoga and Enjoyment for the Goswami
  2530. 52As he speaks of Sri Krishna talking with Arjuna, the Master passes again into samadhi. In a moment everything is still, his eyes unblinking. One canno…
  2531. 53Coming partly to himself, the Master says to Navadvip:
  2532. 54"Yoga and enjoyment. You are of the Goswami line; you have both.
  2533. 55"Now just pray to Him, pray from your heart: 'O God, I do not want the splendour of this world-enchanting maya of Yours; I want You.'
  2534. 56"He is in all beings, of course; then whom do we call a devotee? One who lives in Him, whose mind, life and inmost soul have all gone into Him."
  2535. 57The Master has now come back to his normal state. He says to Navadvip:
  2536. 58"This state that comes over me, the state of samadhi: some call it a disease. I say, can anyone become unconscious by thinking of Him by whose conscio…
  2537. 59Sri Mani Sen is giving farewell gifts to the brahmins and Vaishnavas who have come as guests: one rupee to one, two rupees to another, according to th…
  2538. 60He came to give the Master five rupees. Sri Ramakrishna said:
  2539. 61"I must not take money."
  2540. 62Still Mani Sen would not let it go.
  2541. 63Then the Master said: If you give it, I put you on oath by your guru. Mani Sen came to give it again. Then the Master, as if at the end of his patienc…
  2542. 64Then Sri Mani Sen's people put the money into Rakhal's hand, saying it was for buying mangoes and sandesh.
  2543. 65Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I put him on oath by his guru, so now I'm clear of it. Rakhal took it; let him answer for it now.
  2544. 66Sri Ramakrishna got into the carriage with the devotees to go back to the temple at Dakshineswar.
  2545. 67Meditation on the Formless, and Sri Ramakrishna
  2546. 68On the way is Moti Seal's temple. For a long time the Master has been telling M. that they will come together to see the lake of this temple, so that…
  2547. 69The Master has a bad cold, but even so he gets down from the carriage with the devotees to see the temple.
  2548. 70Sri Gauranga is worshipped in this temple. It is still a little before dusk. With the devotees the Master prostrates himself before the image of Sri G…
  2549. 71Now he comes to the landing-steps of the lake on the east side of the temple grounds and looks at the lake and the fish. No one harms the fish; give t…
  2550. 72The Master says to M., "Just look at these fish. That is the way: to move about in joy like these fish in the sea of Chidananda."
  2551. 1Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar and in Devotees' Homes
  2552. 2Chapter Nineteen
  2553. 3Sri Ramakrishna in Many Moods, at Dakshineswar and in the Homes of Devotees
  2554. 4Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the steps of a Siva temple in the temple garden at Dakshineswar. It is the month of Jyaishtha, 1883, and it has turned v…
  2555. 5J. S. Mill and Sri Ramakrishna ; Limitations of man—a conditioned being
  2556. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Mani Mallick's grandson-in-law was here. He's read in some book or other that God doesn't seem to be all that wise or all-know…
  2557. 7M. listens open-mouthed to the Master's words and says nothing. The Master speaks again.
  2558. 8John Stuart Mill's Autobiography. Mill, 1806-1873.
  2559. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: How can He be understood! I too think of Him as good at one time and as bad at another. He keeps us inside His Mahamaya. Somet…
  2560. 10"As long as there is body-consciousness there are pleasure and pain, birth and death, illness and grief. All these belong to the body, not to the Self…
  2561. 11"What can we understand! Will ten seers of milk go into a pot that holds one? The salt doll that went to measure the sea never came back with the news…
  2562. 12"All Doubts Are Cut Asunder when He Who Is Both High and Low Is Seen"
  2563. 13Dusk has fallen. The deities are receiving the evening arati. In his room, seated on his small cot, Sri Ramakrishna is contemplating the Divine Mother…
  2564. 14A little later the Master is sitting on the round verandah to the west. It is about nine at night. M. sits close by, while Rakhal and others now and a…
  2565. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: You see, the doubts of all who come here will be cleared away. What do you say?
  2566. 16M.: Yes, sir.
  2567. 17Just then, far away on the Ganges, a boatman going by in his boat has begun to sing. The sound of the song, like the sweet unstruck sound, comes throu…
  2568. 18After a while the Master speaks again.
  2569. 19Sri Ramakrishna: All who come here have samskaras. What do you say?
  2570. 20M.: Yes, sir.
  2571. 21Sri Ramakrishna: Adhar had samskaras.
  2572. 22M.: That goes without saying.
  2573. 23Sri Ramakrishna: If one is guileless, God is soon reached. And there are two paths, the good and the bad. One must take the good path.
  2574. 24M.: Yes, sir. If the thread has a little fibre sticking out, it won't go through the needle's eye.
  2575. 251 ". . . In this Imperishable, O Gargi, the sky is woven, warp and woof." Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.8.11 ". . . the sound in the ether, the manhood i…
  2576. 26Why Renounce Everything?
  2577. 27Sri Ramakrishna: If a hair gets onto your tongue with your food, you have to spit out the whole mouthful.
  2578. 28M.: But then, as you say, bad company can do nothing to one who has seen God. In the fierce fire of knowledge even a plantain tree burns up.
  2579. 1Chapter Twenty
  2580. 2Sri Ramakrishna in Balaram's House with Rakhal, M. and Others
  2581. 3Today Sri Ramakrishna has graced Balaram's house in Calcutta with his presence. M. is sitting near him, and Rakhal is there too. The Master is in an e…
  2582. 4Sri Ramakrishna, in ecstasy: You see, if one calls from the heart, one's own true nature can be seen. But however much desire for worldly enjoyment re…
  2583. 5M.: Yes, sir. As you say, one has to plunge in.
  2584. 6Sri Ramakrishna, delighted: Yes!
  2585. 7All are silent. The Master speaks again.
  2586. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: You see, everyone can see the Self.
  2587. 9M.: Yes, sir. But then God is the doer; He makes each one act as He wills. He awakens some, and keeps others in ignorance.
  2588. 10The Way to See One's Own Nature, to See God or the Self: Heartfelt Prayer; Joining the Eternal and the Lila
  2589. 11Sri Ramakrishna: No. One has to pray to Him with longing. If the prayer comes from the heart, He will hear it; most surely He will.
  2590. 12A devotee: Yes, sir. Since the "I" is there, one must pray.
  2591. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: One must go to the Eternal holding on to the Lila, step by step, as one climbs to the roof holding on to the stairs, step by s…
  2592. 14"His forms are many and His plays are many: the play of God, the play of the gods, the play as man, the play of the world. In age after age He comes a…
  2593. 15Is the Master saying that he has come down as an Avatar, and that simply to see him is to see God? In speaking of Chaitanyadeva, is the Master hinting…
  2594. 1July 1883
  2595. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar and in Devotees' Homes
  2596. 3Chapter One
  2597. 4Sri Ramakrishna and the Kavikankan: the Chandi Songs at Adhar's House
  2598. 5On another day the Master has come to Adhar's house at Beniatola in Calcutta. It is Saturday, the thirty-first of Asharh, the bright tenth, the fourte…
  2599. 6I have given my life to the feet that grant fearlessness; what fear of Death have I kept now? The great mantra, Kali's name, I have tied in the tuft u…
  2600. 7Listening for a little while, the Master has gone into ecstasy; he has stood up, joined the troupe, and is singing with them.
  2601. 8The Master is adding his own lines: "O Mother, keep me, Mother." As he adds them he passes wholly into samadhi. Unconscious of the outer world, motion…
  2602. 9Whose Woman is this that has come to the battle? Her body outshines the rain-filled cloud; lightning flickers in Her teeth!
  2603. 10The Master is in samadhi again!
  2604. 11When the singing was over, the Master left the hall and sat with the devotees in Adhar's sitting room upstairs. There was talk of God on many themes.…
  2605. 1Chapter Two
  2606. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees on the Streets of Calcutta
  2607. 3Sri Ramakrishna had set out by carriage from the Kali temple garden at Dakshineswar and was on his way to Calcutta, with Ramlal and one or two devotee…
  2608. 4It is Saturday, the sixth of Sravan, the dark first of Asharh, the twenty-first of July, 1883; four in the afternoon. The Master is going to Adhar's h…
  2609. 5Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani, smiling: Why don't you come too? We're going to Adhar's.
  2610. 6Mani said, "As you wish," and got into the carriage.
  2611. 7Mani had had an English education and so did not believe in samskaras. But a few days before he had admitted to the Master that Adhar had such samskar…
  2612. 8Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, how does Adhar seem to you?
  2613. 9Mani: Sir, he has great love for God.
  2614. 10Sri Ramakrishna: Adhar speaks very highly of you too.
  2615. 11Mani is silent for a while; now he raises the question of samskaras from past births.
  2616. 12Nothing Can Be Understood; a Very Secret Matter
  2617. 13Mani: I don't really believe in "past births" and "samskaras" and all that. Will that harm my devotion at all?
  2618. 14Sri Ramakrishna: It is enough to believe that anything is possible in His creation. Never let yourself think, "What I believe is true and everyone els…
  2619. 15"What can man understand of His doings? They are infinite! So I don't try to understand them at all. I have heard that in His creation anything can ha…
  2620. 16"Can His doings be understood at all! He is close at hand, and yet there is no understanding Him. Balarama did not know Krishna as God."
  2621. 17Mani: Yes, sir! As you said about Bhishma.
  2622. 18Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, yes. Tell me what I said.
  2623. 19Mani: Bhishma lay on his bed of arrows, weeping. The Pandavas said to Sri Krishna, "Brother, this is a wonder! Our grandsire is so wise, and yet the t…
  2624. 20Sri Ramakrishna: He has covered everything with His maya; He lets us know nothing. "Woman and gold" are maya. Only one who moves this maya aside and l…
  2625. 21"Listen, I'm telling you a very secret thing! While I was relieving myself near the tamarisk trees I saw something in front of me like the door of a h…
  2626. 22Having said this, Sri Ramakrishna fell silent. Now he spoke again: "These are very high matters. Look, someone seems to be pressing my mouth shut!
  2627. 23"With these very eyes I have seen Him dwelling in the yoni! I saw it at the time of the mating of dogs.
  2628. 24"By His consciousness the world is conscious. Sometimes I see that same consciousness wriggling in tiny fish!"
  2629. 25The carriage reached the crossing at Sobhabazar, near the matting market. The Master said again:
  2630. 26"Sometimes I see that the world is soaked through with this consciousness, as the earth is soaked in the rains.
  2631. 27"But though I see so much, I never feel proud."
  2632. 28Mani, smiling: You, proud!
  2633. 29Sri Ramakrishna: I swear it; I don't feel the least bit of pride.
  2634. 30Mani: In Greece there was a man named Socrates. An oracle declared that of all men he was the wisest. He was astonished. Then he thought it over for a…
  2635. 31Sri Ramakrishna: Sometimes I think, what do I know, that people should come here in such numbers! Vaishnavcharan was a great scholar. He used to say,…
  2636. 32Mani: All you say agrees with the scriptures. The Goswami of Navadvip was saying the same thing the other day at Panihati. You said that saying "Gita,…
  2637. 33Sri Ramakrishna: But does anyone else agree with me? Any pandit, or any holy man?
  2638. 34Mani: God made you with His own hands. Others He has turned out by machine, as everything is created according to law.
  2639. 35Sri Ramakrishna, laughing, to Ramlal and the others: Listen to what he's saying!
  2640. 36The Master's laughter will not stop. At last he says, "I swear it; I don't feel the least bit of pride."
  2641. 37Mani: Learning does one good thing: it makes one feel that one knows nothing and is nothing.
  2642. 38Sri Ramakrishna: Right, right. I am nothing. I am nothing. Well, do you believe in English astronomy?
  2643. 39Mani: By their laws new discoveries can be made. Seeing the irregular motion of the planet Uranus, they searched through the telescope and found a new…
  2644. 40Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that is so.
  2645. 41The carriage goes on and is nearly at Adhar's house. The Master says to Mani:
  2646. 42"Hold fast to truth, and you will reach God."
  2647. 43Mani: And there was another thing you said to the Goswami of Navadvip: "O God! It is You I want. See that You do not bewitch me with the splendour of…
  2648. 44Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, and that must be said from the heart.
  2649. 45Chapter Three
  2650. 46In the Joy of Kirtan at Sri Adhar Sen's House
  2651. 47Sri Ramakrishna has come to Adhar's house. Ramlal, M., Adhar and other devotees are sitting near him in Adhar's sitting room. Some neighbours have com…
  2652. 48Sri Ramakrishna, to Adhar: Didn't you send word to Rakhal?
  2653. 49Adhar: Yes, sir, I did send him word.
  2654. 50Seeing that the Master was anxious for Rakhal, Adhar said no more and sent his own carriage with a man to bring him.
  2655. 51Adhar sat down near the Master. Today he had been longing to see the Master. Nothing had been settled beforehand about the Master's coming here; he ha…
  2656. 52Adhar: You haven't come for a long time. I was calling you today; my eyes even filled with tears.
  2657. 53Sri Ramakrishna, pleased, smiling: You don't say!
  2658. 54Dusk has fallen. A lamp has been lit in the sitting room. The Master bows to the Divine Mother with folded hands and, it seems, silently repeats his r…
  2659. 55Mother, You have bewitched the world, You who enchant Hara! In the great lotus of the Muladhara You delight in playing the vina. On the instrument of…
  2660. 56Ramlal sang again:
  2661. 57I have heard, O Bhavadara, that Your name takes away fear; so this time I have given the burden to You: save me or not, O Mother. You, Mother, uphold…
  2662. 58Seeing Satchidananda without Form; Piercing the Six Centres; Piercing the Nada, and Samadhi
  2663. 59As Sri Ramlal is singing:
  2664. 60"Above it, Mother, is the place called the throat, where there is a lotus of sixteen petals, smoky in colour. Within that lotus is the ether, in the l…
  2665. 61then Sri Ramakrishna says to M.:
  2666. 62"Listen to this! This is what is called the vision of Satchidananda without form. When the Visuddha centre is pierced, all becomes ether."
  2667. 63M.: Yes, sir.
  2668. 64Sri Ramakrishna: Only when one has gone beyond maya, souls and the world does one reach the Eternal. When the nada, the inner sound, is pierced, then…
  2669. 65Chapter Four
  2670. 66Jadu Mallick's House: before the Goddess Simhavahini, in the "Temple of Samadhi"
  2671. 67At his house Adhar served the Master with fruit, sweets and the like. The Master said, "Today I must go to Jadu Mallick's house."
  2672. 68The Master has come to Jadu Mallick's house. The Asharh moon has just begun to wane; the night is bright with moonlight. The Master comes with the dev…
  2673. 69The Master stands with folded hands before Simhavahini. Behind him the devotees stand with folded hands.
  2674. 70For a long time the Master gazes at Her.
  2675. 71How wonderful! As he gazes he passes completely into samadhi. He stands motionless like a statue of stone, his eyes unblinking!
  2676. 72After a long while he heaves a deep sigh; the samadhi breaks. As though drunk, he says, "Mother, I'm going now!"
  2677. 73But he cannot walk; he stands there just as before.
  2678. 74Then he says to Ramlal, "Sing that one, and then I'll be all right."
  2679. 75Ramlal sings, "Mother, You have bewitched the world, You who enchant Hara!"
  2680. 76The song came to an end.
  2681. 77Now the Master comes towards the sitting room with the devotees. On the way he says once, "Mother, stay in my heart, Mother."
  2682. 78Sri Jadu Mallick is sitting in the sitting room with his people. The Master, still in ecstasy, comes in singing:
  2683. 79O Mother, You are all bliss; do not make me joyless.
  2684. 80When the song is over he says to Jadu, again mad with ecstasy, "Well, Babu, what song shall it be? 'Mother, am I an eight-month child?'—shall I sing t…
  2685. 81Mother, am I an eight-month child? I am not afraid of Your angry eyes. My wealth is those red feet of Yours, which Siva holds in the lotus of His hear…
  2686. 82As the ecstasy eases a little, he speaks: "I will eat the Mother's prasad."
  2687. 83Simhavahini's prasad was brought and given to the Master.
  2688. 84Sri Jadu Mallick is sitting there. Near him on chairs sit a number of his friends, some of them flatterers.
  2689. 85The Master has taken a chair opposite Jadu Mallick and is talking with him, smiling. Some of the devotees who came with the Master are in the next roo…
  2690. 86Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Tell me, what do you keep jesters for?
  2691. 87Jadu, smiling: Even if they are jesters, won't you save them!
  2692. 88Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: The Ganges can't do anything for a leather flask of wine!
  2693. 89Truthful Speech and Sri Ramakrishna: "A Man Keeps His Word"
  2694. 90Jadu had given the Master his word that the Chandi songs would be sung at his house. Many days had passed, but there had been no Chandi singing.
  2695. 91Sri Ramakrishna: Well, what about the Chandi songs?
  2696. 92Jadu: I had all sorts of work, so it hasn't happened all this time.
  2697. 93Sri Ramakrishna: What! A man keeps his word!
  2698. 94"A man's word, like an elephant's tusk.
  2699. 95"Well, a man should keep his word; what do you say?"
  2700. 96Jadu, smiling: That's true.
  2701. 97Sri Ramakrishna: "You're a calculating man. You do things after a great deal of calculation: the brahmin's cow that eats little, dungs much, and gives…
  2702. 98A little later the Master says to Jadu, "I see, you are like the stone of Ramjibanpur: half hot, half cold. Your mind is on God, and it is on the worl…
  2703. 99The Master, with one or two devotees, ate prasad of thickened milk, fruit, sweets and the like at Jadu's house. Now he is to go to Khelat Ghosh's hous…
  2704. 100Chapter Five
  2705. 101The Master's Visit to Khelat Ghosh's House; Teaching for a Vaishnava
  2706. 102Sri Ramakrishna is entering Khelat Ghosh's house. It must be ten at night. The house and its great courtyard are bright with moonlight. As he enters t…
  2707. 103As one came that way, it seemed as though there was no one in the house, only a number of big rooms with a long verandah before them.
  2708. 104The Master was seated in a room in the north-east, still in ecstasy. The devotee of the house who had invited him came and welcomed him. He was a Vais…
  2709. 105The Master's Harmony of All Religions: The Religion of Love
  2710. 106Sri Ramakrishna, to the Vaishnava devotee and the other devotees: "My religion is right and other people's religion is wrong": that view is not good.…
  2711. 107"The Vedas, the Puranas and the Tantras all set forth the one Satchidananda. In the Vedas it is Satchidananda (Brahman). In the Puranas too it is Satc…
  2712. 108All were silent.
  2713. 109The Vaishnava devotee: Sir, what need is there to think of God?
  2714. 110Teaching for the Vaishnava: Who Is Free while Living? Who Is the Best Devotee? The Signs of Having Seen God
  2715. 111Sri Ramakrishna: If one has this awareness, then one is free while living. But not everyone has this faith; they only say it with their lips. Worldly…
  2716. 112"Do you know what the worldly man's God is like? It is like children who hear their aunts quarrelling and then, in their own squabbles, say, 'There is…
  2717. 113"Can everyone grasp Him? He has made good people and bad people, devotees and non-devotees, believers and unbelievers. There is every variety in His p…
  2718. 114"Among devotees too there are grades: the best devotee, the middling and the lowest. All this is in the Gita."
  2719. 115The Vaishnava devotee: Yes, sir.
  2720. 116Sri Ramakrishna: The lowest devotee says, "God exists, far away there in the sky." The middling devotee says, "God is present in every being, as consc…
  2721. 117The Vaishnava devotee: Does anyone attain such a state?
  2722. 118Sri Ramakrishna: Such a state does not come unless one has seen Him; but there are signs of whether one has seen Him. Sometimes such a man is like a m…
  2723. 119Is Sri Ramakrishna hinting at all his own states?
  2724. 120Sri Ramakrishna, to the Vaishnava devotee: Knowledge is "You and Yours"; ignorance is "I and mine".
  2725. 121"'O God, You are the doer and I am not the doer': that is knowledge. 'O God, everything is Yours: body, mind, home, family, living beings, the world;…
  2726. 122"It is the ignorant man who says God is 'there, there', far away. The jnani knows that God is 'here, here', very near, in the heart as the Indweller,…
  2727. 1Chapter Six
  2728. 2Conversation with the Devotees at the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar on Brahman and the Primal Power: Of Vidyasagar and Keshab Sen
  2729. 3The Path of Knowledge and the Doctrine of Nirvana
  2730. 4The day is the dark third of Ashadh: by the English reckoning the twenty-second of July, 1883. Today is Sunday, and the devotees have come again to se…
  2731. 5In the eastern part of the great courtyard of Rasmani's Kali temple stand the shrines of Sri Radhakanta and of Sri Bhavatarini. In the western part ar…
  2732. 6Sri Mani Mallick is an old Brahmo devotee, sixty or sixty-five years of age. Some days before, he had gone on a pilgrimage to Kasi. Today he has come…
  2733. 7Mani Mallick: I saw another holy man. He says nothing can be achieved without control of the senses. What is the use of merely crying "God, God"?
  2734. 8Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what these people hold? First there must be sadhana; there must be calm, self-control and forbearance. They are striving…
  2735. 9"Do you know how it is? When camphor is burnt, nothing at all is left. When wood is burnt, ash is still left. After the final reasoning comes samadhi.…
  2736. 10Meeting the Pandit Padmalochan and Vidyasagar
  2737. 11"Padmalochan was a great man of knowledge, and yet, though I kept crying 'Mother, Mother', he held me in high regard. Padmalochan was the court pandit…
  2738. 12Vidyasagar's Compassion: But the Gold Lies Buried Within
  2739. 13"There was a pandit who was very proud. He would not accept that God has form. But who can fathom what God does? He appeared to him as the Primal Powe…
  2740. 14A devotee: Sir, you have seen Vidyasagar. How did he strike you?
  2741. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Vidyasagar has learning and he has compassion, but he has no inner vision. There is gold buried within him. If he found that gold, al…
  2742. 16"The kind of work Ishwar Vidyasagar is doing is very good. Compassion is very good. There is a great difference between compassion and maya. Compassio…
  2743. 17Chapter Seven
  2744. 18"Beyond the three gunas, of the nature of Existence, Knowledge and Bliss." Mandukya Upanishad
  2745. 19"Brahman Is beyond the Three Gunas: It Cannot Be Told in Words"
  2746. 20M.: Is compassion, too, a bondage?
  2747. 21Sri Ramakrishna: That is a very far-off matter. Compassion comes from sattva. By sattva the world is sustained, by rajas created, by tamas destroyed.…
  2748. 22"The gunas cannot reach the place where the Real is. A thief, likewise, cannot go to the very spot; he is afraid he may be caught. Sattva, rajas and t…
  2749. 23"A man was going along a forest path when three robbers came and seized him. They took everything he had. One of the thieves said, 'What's the use of…
  2750. 24"The world itself is the forest. In this forest the robbers are the three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas, who carry off the jiva's knowledge of Truth.…
  2751. 25"What Brahman is cannot be told in words. One who attains it cannot bring back word. There is a saying that once a ship goes into the black waters, it…
  2752. 26"Four friends were out walking when they came upon a place enclosed by a wall. It was a very high wall, and they were all very eager to see what was i…
  2753. 27Jadabharata, Dattatreya and Sukadeva: Their Knowledge of Brahman
  2754. 28"Jadabharata and Dattatreya saw Brahman and could bring back no word. When the knowledge of Brahman comes and one goes into samadhi, the 'I' is no mor…
  2755. 29A devotee: Sir, did Sukadeva not attain knowledge?
  2756. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Some say Sukadeva did no more than see and touch the ocean of Brahman; he did not go in and dive. That is why he came back and gave s…
  2757. 31The Lesson to Keshab: Sects Are Not Good
  2758. 32A devotee: When the knowledge of Brahman comes, do sects and parties remain?
  2759. 33Sri Ramakrishna: "Keshab Sen and I were talking of the knowledge of Brahman. Keshab said, 'Tell us more!' I said, 'If I tell you more, your party and…
  2760. 34One Should Preach Religion Only after Receiving God's Command
  2761. 35A devotee: Can the "ripe I" form a sect?
  2762. 36Sri Ramakrishna: I told Keshab Sen, "'I am the leader, I have made a party, I am teaching people': that 'I' is the 'unripe I'." To preach a doctrine i…
  2763. 37"I told Keshab, 'Give up the "unripe I".' No harm lies in the 'servant I', the 'devotee's I'.
  2764. 38"'You keep on about your party. People keep breaking away from your party.' Keshab said, 'Sir, a man stayed three years in this party and then went of…
  2765. 39The Lesson to Keshab: Accept the Primal Power
  2766. 40"And I told Keshab, 'Accept the Primal Power.' For Brahman and Sakti are not two different things: He who is Brahman is Sakti. So long as there is the…
  2767. 41"Keshab came here one day with his disciples. I said, 'I'd like to hear one of your lectures.' He gave a lecture sitting in the chandni. Then we came…
  2768. 42From the Past: Sri Ramakrishna's Swoon at the Play of Maya
  2769. 43"It is very hard to go beyond the three gunas. It cannot be done without attaining God. The jiva lives in the realm of maya. This maya does not let hi…
  2770. 44"It was a long while before the swoon passed."
  2771. 45Chapter Eight
  2772. 46In the Shrine of Samadhi
  2773. 47Sri Ramakrishna is in samadhi day and night! The days and nights pass, he knows not how. Only now and then he speaks of God and sings His praise with…
  2774. 48As he talked with the Mother he said once, "Mother, why did You give him one kala, a single sixteenth part?" The Master was silent for a while. Then h…
  2775. 49Is the Master in this way passing his power into his close companions? Are preparations being made for them to teach men later? Besides M., Rakhal too…
  2776. 50After a little while he says, "I saw that Hazra is dry wood! Then why does he stay here? There is a reason for it: with a Jatila and Kutila about, the…
  2777. 51To M.: One must accept God's forms. Do you know the meaning of the form of Jagaddhatri? She who holds up the world. If She did not hold it, if She did…
  2778. 52Rakhal: "The mind, the mad elephant!"
  2779. 53Sri Ramakrishna: That is why the lion of Her who rides the lion holds the elephant down.
  2780. 54After dusk the evening worship is being performed in the temples. As evening falls, Sri Ramakrishna is chanting the names of God in his own room. Ince…
  2781. 55Outside, the moon has risen. The world is smiling in silence. Inside the room all sit silent, gazing at the Master's tranquil form. The Master is in e…
  2782. 56The Dark Form of Syama: Purusha and Prakriti: Yogamaya: The Forms of Siva and Kali and of Radha and Krishna Explained: The Best Devotee: The Path of R…
  2783. 57Sri Ramakrishna, in ecstasy: Say what your doubts are. I shall tell you everything.
  2784. 58Govinda and the other devotees began to think.
  2785. 59Govinda: Sir, why is Syama, the Mother, dark like that?
  2786. 60Sri Ramakrishna: That is because She is far away. Come near and She has no colour at all. From afar the water of a lake looks black; scoop some up in…
  2787. 61"She who is Syama is Brahman. He who has form is also without form. He who has attributes is also without them. Brahman is Sakti; Sakti is Brahman. Th…
  2788. 62Govinda: Why is She called Yogamaya?
  2789. 63Sri Ramakrishna: Yogamaya is the union of Purusha and Prakriti. All that you see is Purusha joined with Prakriti. In the Siva-Kali image, Kali is stan…
  2790. 64"That is also the meaning of the twin image of Radha and Krishna. The bent pose is for that union. It is to show that union that Sri Krishna has a pea…
  2791. 65"Who is the best devotee? He who, after knowing Brahman, sees that He alone has become the jivas, the world and the twenty-four principles of the cosm…
  2792. 66"Mere reasoning! Faugh! Faugh! I want none of it."
  2793. 67The Master spat.
  2794. 68"Why should I reason and dry up? So long as 'I' and 'You' remain, may there be pure devotion at His lotus feet."
  2795. 69To Govinda: There are times I say, "You are I, I am You." Then again sometimes it becomes "You alone are You." Then I cannot find the "I".
  2796. 70"It is Sakti that becomes incarnate. In one view Rama and Krishna are two waves of the ocean of Consciousness and Bliss.
  2797. 71"After the knowledge of non-duality comes the attainment of Consciousness. Then one sees Him in all beings as Consciousness. After that attainment com…
  2798. 72God Has Form: When the Desire for Enjoyment Goes, Longing Comes
  2799. 73To M.: And I tell you this: do not disbelieve in form, in God's forms. Believe that He has form! Then meditate on whichever form you love.
  2800. 74To Govinda: Do you know what it is? So long as there is the desire for enjoyment, one does not long to know God or to see Him. A child stays absorbed…
  2801. 75"When one has had one's fill of the world's enjoyments, the heart longs for God. 'How shall I attain Him?': only this thought remains. One listens to…
  2802. 76M., to himself: When the desire for enjoyment goes, the heart longs for God.
  2803. 1Chapter Four
  2804. 2Talk at Balaram's house on the vision of God
  2805. 3[The purpose of life: The End of Life]
  2806. 4On another day, the eighteenth of August, 1883, the Master has come to Balaram's house in the afternoon. He is explaining the doctrine of the Incarnat…
  2807. 5Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: For the teaching of the world an Incarnation keeps to bhakti and to devotees. It is like a man who has reached the r…
  2808. 6To M.: "Take the plunge and you will surely succeed! Take the plunge and you will surely succeed!"
  2809. 7"Tell me, what do you make of the worship that Keshab Sen, Sivanath and the others conduct?
  2810. 8M.: Sir, it is as you say: it is the garden they describe, but of seeing the owner of the garden they speak very little. As a rule they begin with des…
  2811. 9Sri Ramakrishna: Exactly! To seek out the owner of the garden and talk with him: that alone is the work. The vision of God is the very purpose of life…
  2812. 10From Balaram's house the Master has now come on to Adhar's. After dusk he is singing the Name and dancing in Adhar's sitting room. Vaishnavcharan, the…
  2813. 11"The Self, my dear, is to be seen, heard of, reflected on and meditated upon." [Brihadaranyaka]
  2814. 12[Joy in kirtan at Adhar's house, and teaching to Adhar]
  2815. 13The kirtan over, the Master is sitting in ecstasy, and he says to Rakhal: "The water here is not the water of the month of Sravan. The water of Sravan…
  2816. 14Is Sri Ramakrishna an Incarnation? A Siva sprung up from below the earth?
  2817. 15Again, in ecstasy, he says to Adhar: "My child! Meditate on the Name you were chanting."
  2818. 16With these words he laid his finger on Adhar's tongue and wrote something there. Was this Adhar's initiation?
  2819. 1Part One, Section Seven
  2820. 2In the temple garden at Dakshineswar, with the devotees
  2821. 3Chapter One
  2822. 4Sri Ramakrishna is spending today among his devotees in the temple garden at Dakshineswar. It is the dark first of Sravan, the nineteenth of August, 1…
  2823. 5It is Sunday. The shehnai had just been playing for the offering of food to the deities. The shrines have been closed. Sri Ramakrishna too, having tak…
  2824. 6[The view of the Vedantists. About Krishnakishore.]
  2825. 7Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: You see, the Ashtavakra Samhita speaks of the knowledge of the Self. Those who know the Self say "Soham", that is, "I am that…
  2826. 8[Sin and virtue. Maya or compassion?]
  2827. 9"But the pride of 'I am free' is very good. By saying 'I am free' over and over, a man becomes free. And by saying 'I am bound', 'I am bound' over and…
  2828. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: You see, my mind is greatly troubled. Hriday has written; he is very ill. Is this maya or compassion?
  2829. 11Hriday served the Paramahamsa at the Kali temple for nearly twenty-three years, until the day of the Snanayatra in 1881. By relation Hriday was his ne…
  2830. 12What could M. say? He kept silent.
  2831. 13Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what is meant by maya? Love for one's own kin: father and mother, brothers and sisters, wife and children, nephews and ni…
  2832. 14Chapter Two
  2833. 15"The conscious Goddess in a clay image. The vision of Mrinmayi at Vishnupur."
  2834. 16Between two and three in the afternoon Adhar Sen, that heroic devotee, and Balaram arrived, prostrated themselves and took their seats. They asked him…
  2835. 17The talk turned to the image of Simhavahini belonging to the Mallicks of Barabazar.
  2836. 18Sri Ramakrishna: "I went to see Simhavahini. I saw the deity in the house of one of the Mallicks in the washermen's quarter. A tumbledown house. The f…
  2837. 19M. sat silent.
  2838. 20Sri Ramakrishna: You see, whatever karma a man has to reap, he must reap it. One has to accept samskaras and prarabdha.
  2839. 21"And in that tumbledown house I saw that even there the look on Simhavahini's face was shining bright! One has to accept the manifestation.
  2840. 22"Once I went to Vishnupur. The Raja has some fine temples there. The Mother is worshipped there in an image named Mrinmayi. Near the temples there are…
  2841. 23[The joys and sorrows of a devotee. The Bhagavata and the Mahabharata.]
  2842. 24By now the other devotees were gathering. Talk arose of the revolution in Kabul and the war. Someone said that Yakub Khan had been driven from the thr…
  2843. 25Sri Ramakrishna: You see, pleasure and pain belong to having a body. The Chandi of Kavikankan tells how Kalubir was thrown into prison, and a stone wa…
  2844. 26M.: Why only the prison? The body itself is the root of all the trouble. It is the body that ought to have gone!
  2845. 27Sri Ramakrishna: "You see, it is the reaping of prarabdha karma. As long as there is something to reap, one has to keep the body. A blind man bathed i…
  2846. 28Mani: An arrow once shot is beyond one's control.
  2847. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Whatever may befall the body, pleasure or pain, the devotee keeps the wealth of knowledge and devotion, and that wealth never leaves…
  2848. 30Chapter Three
  2849. 31"In the Temple of Samadhi." The arrival of the Captain and Narendra.
  2850. 32Just then Narendra and Viswanath Upadhyaya arrived. Viswanath is the agent of the King of Nepal, his representative. The Master used to call him Capta…
  2851. 33When they had bowed and sat down, the Paramahamsa asked Narendra for a song. On the west wall of the room hung the tanpura. All eyes were fixed on the…
  2852. 34Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: See, it doesn't sound the way it used to.
  2853. 35The Captain: "It is full now, and so it makes no sound." Everyone laughed. "A full pitcher."
  2854. 36Sri Ramakrishna, to the Captain: But what about Narada and the others?
  2855. 37The Captain: They spoke out of grief at the sufferings of others.
  2856. 38Sri Ramakrishna: Yes. Narada, Sukadeva and the like came down after samadhi; they spoke out of compassion, for the good of others.
  2857. 39Narendra began to sing:
  2858. 40Truth, Goodness, Beauty: that form shines in the temple of the heart. (When will that day come?) Gazing and gazing, day after day, we shall sink in th…
  2859. 41Hardly had the words "As Bliss immortal" been sung when Sri Ramakrishna sank into deep samadhi! He sits with hands folded, facing east, his body erect…
  2860. 42Chapter Four
  2861. 43The way to attain Satchidananda. The difference between the jnani and the bhakta.
  2862. 44The samadhi ended. Narendra, seeing the Master in samadhi, had already left the room for the eastern verandah. There Hazra was sitting on his blanket…
  2863. 45Sri Ramakrishna: He has lit the fire, and now it makes no difference whether he stays or goes!
  2864. 46To the Captain and the others: Superimpose Consciousness and Bliss, and you too will have bliss. Consciousness and Bliss are always there; there is on…
  2865. 47The Captain: The nearer you come to your house in Calcutta, the farther you are from Kasi. The nearer you go to Kasi, the farther you are from your ho…
  2866. 48Sri Ramakrishna: The nearer Radha drew to Krishna, the more she caught the fragrance of His body. The nearer one comes to God, the more bhava and bhak…
  2867. 49[Satchidananda and the Satchidananda Mother. Brahman and the Primal Power are one.]
  2868. 50"The jnani wants to know Brahman. The devotee's Bhagavan is the Lord full of the six divine powers, the Almighty. But in truth Brahman and Sakti are n…
  2869. 51The Captain: Yes indeed, sir!
  2870. 52Sri Ramakrishna: I said this to Keshab Sen.
  2871. 53The Captain: Keshab Sen has fallen from right conduct and does as he likes. He is a babu, not a holy man.
  2872. 54Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: The Captain forbids me to go to Keshab Sen's.
  2873. 55The Captain: Sir, if you will go, what can I do?
  2874. 56Sri Ramakrishna, annoyed: You can go to the Governor for money, and I may not go to Keshab Sen? He thinks of God and chants the name of Hari. Isn't it…
  2875. 57Chapter Five
  2876. 58With Narendra. The harmony of jnana yoga and bhakti yoga.
  2877. 59With these words the Master suddenly left the room for the north-eastern verandah. The Captain and the other devotees remained in the room, waiting fo…
  2878. 60Out on the north-eastern verandah Narendra was talking with Hazra. The Master is aware that Hazra goes in for a great deal of dry reasoning about know…
  2879. 61Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Well! What are you two talking about?
  2880. 62Narendra, smiling: Oh, all sorts of things. Big, big talk!
  2881. 63Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: But pure knowledge and pure devotion are one and the same. Where pure knowledge leads, pure devotion leads to that same plac…
  2882. 64Narendra: "'No more of reasoning about knowledge; make me mad, Mother!'" To M.: "You know, I was reading in Hamilton; he writes, 'A learned ignorance…
  2883. 65Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: And what is the meaning of that?
  2884. 66Narendra: When a man has finished studying Philosophy he ends up a learned fool, and then he cries out for religion. That is where religion begins.
  2885. 67Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Thank you! Thank you!" There was laughter.
  2886. 68Chapter Six
  2887. 69The chanting of Hari's name as evening falls. Narendra's many gifts.
  2888. 70A little later, seeing that evening was near, most of the visitors went home. Narendra too took his leave.
  2889. 71The day began to wane. Evening was coming on. The temple servants are making ready the lamps all about. The two priests of the Kali temple and the Vis…
  2890. 72Evening came. The temple servant lit the lamps and went away. A maidservant came into the Master's room, lit the lamp and burnt incense. Meanwhile the…
  2891. 73It was the night after the Sravan full moon, and before long the moon came up. Little by little the great courtyard and the treetops of the garden wer…
  2892. 74As soon as dusk has fallen Sri Ramakrishna salutes the Mother of the Universe and, clapping his hands, chants the name of Hari. In the room are many p…
  2893. 75After the chanting of the names Sri Ramakrishna sits with folded hands, meditating on the Divine Mother. Two or three devotees had been strolling by t…
  2894. 76Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Narendra, Bhavanath, Rakhal: these are all nityasiddhas, Ishvarakotis. Their learning is only something extra. Don't…
  2895. 1Section Five
  2896. 2In the temple garden at Dakshineswar, with the devotees
  2897. 3Chapter One
  2898. 4Teaching to Manimohan; the signs of having seen Brahman; the yoga of meditation
  2899. 5Sri Ramakrishna sits on his small bedstead inside the mosquito curtain, meditating. It must be seven or eight in the evening. M. is seated on the floo…
  2900. 6These days Hazra lives here; Rakhal is here most of the time, though at times he goes and stays at Adhar's house. Narendra, Bhavanath, Adhar, Balaram,…
  2901. 7Hriday had served the Master a great deal. The Master has heard that he is ill in his village and is deeply troubled. So a devotee has today given ten…
  2902. 8M.'s friend Hari Babu lost his wife some eleven years ago and has not married again. His mother and father, brothers and sisters are all living. He lo…
  2903. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I was meditating inside the curtain. I thought: it is nothing but imagining a form, and so I did not like it. If He reveals Hi…
  2904. 10M.: Yes, sir. You have said that He Himself has become the jivas and the world and all this; the one who meditates is He too.
  2905. 11Sri Ramakrishna: And unless He makes one do it, it will not happen. Only if He makes one meditate will there be meditation. What do you say?
  2906. 12M.: Sir, there is no "I" in you, and that is why this happens. Where there is no "I", there is this state.
  2907. 13Sri Ramakrishna: But it is good to keep this much: "I am the servant, the attendant." Where there is the feeling "I am doing all the work," it is very…
  2908. 14Manimohan is always pondering what the Supreme Brahman is. With him in mind, the Master speaks again:
  2909. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Brahman is like the sky. In Brahman there is no change. It is like fire, which has no colour at all. But through Sakti He has become…
  2910. 16"A girl's husband has come and is sitting in the outer room among other young men of his age. Meanwhile the girl and her friends are peeping through t…
  2911. 17[Holy company. The householder's duty.]
  2912. 18To Mani: "Tell me, why do I chatter so?"
  2913. 19Mani: As you have said yourself: when an uncooked luchi is dropped into ghee that has stopped bubbling, it sizzles again. You talk to awaken the devot…
  2914. 20The Master talks with M. about Hazra.
  2915. 21Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know how a holy man behaves? He troubles nobody; he does not upset anyone. Some people are like this: invited to a feast, they…
  2916. 22"And the company of the wicked is not good. One must keep away from them, keep oneself out of their reach." To Mani: "What do you say?"
  2917. 23Mani: Sir, in bad company the mind sinks a long way. But you have said that it is different with a hero.
  2918. 24Sri Ramakrishna: How so?
  2919. 25Mani: A low fire goes out if you push in a little wood. But when a fire is blazing, you can throw even a banana tree on it and nothing happens; the ba…
  2920. 26The Master asks about M.'s friend Hari Babu.
  2921. 27M.: He has come for your darshan. He lost his wife many years ago.
  2922. 28Sri Ramakrishna: What do you do, my friend?
  2923. 29M.: In a way he does nothing. But at home he serves his brothers and sisters, his father and mother, with great devotion.
  2924. 30Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What's this? You have become a "pumpkin-cutting elder brother-in-law". You are not a householder, and you are not a devotee…
  2925. 31"Do this and do that as well. Do your worldly work with the mind fixed on God's lotus feet. And when you are alone, read books of devotion: the Bhagav…
  2926. 32It is close on ten at night, and the Kali temple is still open. M. crossed the large courtyard talking with Ram Chatterji and went first to the Radhak…
  2927. 33Coming back to the Master's room, M. found him sitting down to his meal. He sat facing south; his food was a little semolina pudding and one or two lu…
  2928. 1Chapter Two
  2929. 2Between Guru and disciple: secret talk
  2930. 3Sri Ramakrishna sits on the small bedstead in his familiar room, talking privately with Mani, who is seated on the floor. Today is Friday, the bright…
  2931. 4Sri Ramakrishna: I was in Calcutta the other day. As I went along in the carriage I saw that every creature's gaze was turned downward; all were think…
  2932. 5Mani: These days the worry about the belly has grown even greater. By imitating the English, people have set their minds still more on luxury, and so…
  2933. 6Sri Ramakrishna: What do they think about God?
  2934. 7Mani: They believe in a God without form.
  2935. 8[From earlier days: Sri Ramakrishna's state of knowledge of Brahman, the vision of non-difference; the one Consciousness seen in all beings: in the En…
  2936. 9Sri Ramakrishna: We hold that view here too.
  2937. 10For a while both are silent. Now the Master describes his own state of the knowledge of Brahman.
  2938. 11Sri Ramakrishna: One day I saw that there is one Consciousness, without distinction. First I was shown many people and animals: among them gentlemen,…
  2939. 12"Another day I was shown excrement, urine, rice and curries, every kind of food, all lying there. Suddenly the soul came out from within me and, like…
  2940. 13[From earlier days: the vision of his companions. Is the Master an Incarnation?]
  2941. 14Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Once again I was shown that there were devotees belonging to this place, my companions, my very own. As soon as the conch an…
  2942. 15"Well, what do you make of all these visions of mine?"
  2943. 16Mani: You are the place where He sports! This is what I have understood: you are the machine and He is the one who works it. It is as if He had turned…
  2944. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Well now, according to Hazra, the six divine powers come once God has been seen.
  2945. 18Mani: Those who want pure devotion do not want to see God's powers.
  2946. 19Sri Ramakrishna: "Perhaps Hazra was poor in his last birth; that is why he is so eager to see powers. Now Hazra has said something more: what do I tal…
  2947. 20Smiling: "He goes on saying such things and I keep quiet."
  2948. 21[God as man is easily grasped by the devotee. Majesty and sweetness.]
  2949. 22Mani: Time and again you have said that one who is a pure devotee has no wish to see powers. One who is a pure devotee wants to see God as Gopala. At…
  2950. 23Sri Ramakrishna: It is just like the sun at sunrise. You can look at that sun with ease; it does not dazzle the eyes, rather it gladdens them. For the…
  2951. 24Again the two are silent.
  2952. 25Mani: I think about these visions: why should they not be true? If they are untrue, then this world is still more untrue, because the instrument, the…
  2953. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Now I see that you have come to feel deeply how impermanent everything is! Well, tell me, what sort of man is Hazra?
  2954. 27Mani: "He is a strange sort of man!" The Master laughs.
  2955. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Well, do I resemble anyone else?
  2956. 29Mani: No, sir.
  2957. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Any paramahamsa?
  2958. 31Mani: No, sir. There is no one to compare with you.
  2959. 32Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Do you know of the "unknown tree"?
  2960. 33Mani: No, sir.
  2961. 34Sri Ramakrishna: It is a kind of tree that nobody can recognize on seeing it.
  2962. 35Mani: Yes, sir; and there is no way to know you either. The more a man understands you, the higher he will rise!
  2963. 36Mani sits silent, pondering. The Master has spoken of 'the sun at sunrise' and 'the unknown tree'; all these things he said, is this what is called an…
  2964. 1Section Six
  2965. 2In the temple garden at Dakshineswar, with Ratan and other devotees
  2966. 3Chapter One
  2967. 4Sri Ramakrishna has one thought and one theme, God. "That is cleverness indeed"
  2968. 5Sri Ramakrishna sits on the small bedstead in his familiar room at the Kali temple, his face lit with a smile, talking with the devotees. He has had h…
  2969. 6Today is Sunday, the bright seventh of Bhadra, the ninth of September, 1883. Rakhal, M. and Ratan are seated on the floor. Ramlal, Ram Chatterji and H…
  2970. 7Ratan: You must come. They have sent word that the jatra will be on such-and-such a day.
  2971. 8Sri Ramakrishna: Very well, I should like to go. Ah, how Nilkantha sings, with what devotion!
  2972. 9A devotee: Yes, sir.
  2973. 10Sri Ramakrishna: "As he sings, he is awash in his tears." To Ratan: "I've a mind to stay the night there."
  2974. 11Ratan: That will be fine.
  2975. 12Ram Chatterji and several others asked about the theft of the sandals.
  2976. 13Ratan: The golden sandals of the deity at Jadu Babu's house have been stolen, and the whole household is in an uproar. They are going to have a plate…
  2977. 14Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: How does a plate move? By itself?
  2978. 15Ratan: No, a hand is kept pressed on it.
  2979. 16A devotee: There is some knack of the hand in it, some cleverness of the hand.
  2980. 17Sri Ramakrishna: The cleverness by which one attains God, that alone is cleverness. "That is cleverness indeed!"
  2981. 18Chapter Two
  2982. 19Tantric practice, and Sri Ramakrishna's attitude of a child
  2983. 20While the talk was going on, a number of Bengali gentlemen came into the room, bowed to the Master and sat down. One of them was known to him already.…
  2984. 21Sri Ramakrishna's attitude is that of a child. He looks on every woman, even a harlot, as his mother, and as one form or another of the Divine Mother.
  2985. 22Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "And Achalananda, where is he? The other day Kalikinkar was here, with one more, a Singh of some kind." To M. and the others…
  2986. 23The visiting gentlemen sit silent; not a word comes from them.
  2987. 24[From earlier days: Achalananda's tantric practice]
  2988. 25Sri Ramakrishna: Mine is the child's attitude. From time to time Achalananda would come and stay here. He drank a great deal of wine. Hearing of my at…
  2989. 26"I said, 'Who knows, my good man? None of that appeals to me. Mine is the attitude of a child.'
  2990. 27[A father's duty. Against powers and the five m's. The right use of money.]
  2991. 28"Achalananda never looked after his children. He used to tell me, 'God will look after the children; all this is God's will!' I heard it and kept quie…
  2992. 29"To win a lawsuit, to make plenty of money, to get someone else's lawsuit won for him, to get him property: is that what spiritual practice is for? Th…
  2993. 30"Money provides food and drink, a place to live, the service of the deity, the service of holy men and devotees, and help for any poor person one come…
  2994. 31"People practise the five m's of the Tantra to get occult powers. But how mean-minded! Krishna said to Arjuna, 'Brother, with one of the eight powers…
  2995. 32[What need of hatha yoga to live long?]
  2996. 33"The body and money are impermanent. Why so much trouble for them? Look at the plight of the hatha yogis. Their eyes are fixed only on how the body ma…
  2997. 34"There was a goldsmith whose tongue turned back into his palate, and he went into a state like inert samadhi; he would not stir. He stayed like that a…
  2998. 35"All that belongs to the body; for the most part it has nothing to do with God. Salagram's brother (his son traded in bamboo-manna) knew eighty-two po…
  2999. 36[From earlier days: Mahendra Pal's money sent back. Bhagavati the oil-woman and the Kartabhajas. Against practices with women.]
  3000. 37"Mahendra Pal of Sinthi left five rupees here, with Ramlal. After he had gone, Ramlal told me. I asked, 'Why did he give it?' Ramlal said, 'He gave it…
  3001. 38"Ramlal got up at dawn and returned the money, and only then was I at ease.
  3002. 39"In our part of the country there is Bhagi the oil-woman, of the Kartabhaja sect. Their discipline is practised with women. A woman's practice and wor…
  3003. 40"Bhagi (Bhagavati) was a Sudra, an oil-presser. Everyone would go and take the dust of her feet and bow to her, and then the landlord grew very angry.…
  3004. 41"One day a wealthy man came and told me, 'Sir, you must make me win this case of mine. I have come because I heard of you.' I said, 'My good man, I am…
  3005. 42"The one whose devotion to God is genuine pays no heed to body or money. He thinks: why practise austerities and japa for the body's comfort, or for h…
  3006. 43The visitors now rose, saluted him and said, "We will take our leave." They went away. Sri Ramakrishna smiled a little and said to M., "The thief does…
  3007. 44Chapter Three
  3008. 45Faith in God is the root of faith in oneself
  3009. 46Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Mani: Tell me, how do you find Narendra?
  3010. 47Mani: He is very good, sir.
  3011. 48Sri Ramakrishna: Look, he has brains to match his learning! And he sings and plays music too. And he has mastered his senses; he says he will not marr…
  3012. 49Mani: You have said that a man who keeps thinking "sin, sin" becomes a sinner and cannot rise again. If one has the faith "I am a child of God", one m…
  3013. 50[From earlier days: the faith of Krishnakishore; the faith of Haladhari's father]
  3014. 51Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, faith!
  3015. 52"Such faith as Krishnakishore's! He used to say, 'I have once taken His name; what sin can there be in me now? I have become pure and stainless.' Hala…
  3016. 53"Haladhari's father was a great devotee. When he went waist-deep into the water at his bath and uttered the mantra, when he meditated with words like…
  3017. 54"One day a holy man had come to the ghat at Ariadaha, and we spoke of going for his darshan. Said Haladhari, 'What is the use of going to see that cas…
  3018. 55"In Vrindavan he was thirsty, and he said to a cobbler, 'Say "Siva".' The cobbler drew water chanting Siva's name and gave it to him, and that orthodo…
  3019. 56"Without faith, though a man performs worship, japa and the evening devotions, nothing comes of it at all! What do you say?"
  3020. 57Mani: Yes, sir.
  3021. 58Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: I have seen people come to bathe at the bathing ghat on the Ganges. Talk of everything under the sun! A widowed aunt is sayi…
  3022. 59Mani: Sir, what fault is it of theirs? What else have they to live with?
  3023. 60Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: The shrine is on the roof, and the worship of Narayana is going on. The food offering, the grinding of sandal paste, all tha…
  3024. 61"Just think of it: all this idle talk of the world, in the very shrine, during the worship itself."
  3025. 62Mani: Yes, sir, most of it is like that. As you say, if one has love for God, does one have to go on with worship and devotions for long?
  3026. 63Chapter Four
  3027. 64What is the form made of Spirit? Vijnana after the knowledge of Brahman. God alone is real
  3028. 65The Master is talking privately with Mani.
  3029. 66Mani: Sir, if He alone has become everything, why are there such different natures?
  3030. 67Sri Ramakrishna: As the all-pervading Lord He is in all beings, but there are differences of power. In some places there is the power of vidya, in som…
  3031. 68Mani, smiling: Yes, sir; those one must salute from a distance. Go up and embrace the tiger Narayana, and he will eat you up.
  3032. 69Sri Ramakrishna: There is nothing but He and His Sakti, Brahman and Sakti. In his hymn to Ramachandra Narada said: "O Rama, it is You who are Siva, an…
  3033. 70Mani: And the form made of Spirit?
  3034. 71Sri Ramakrishna reflects a little and says slowly: "Do you know what it is like? Like water's... One comes to know all this through spiritual practice…
  3035. 72"As for you, believe in 'form'. It is only when the knowledge of Brahman comes that there is no difference, that Brahman and Sakti are one. As with fi…
  3036. 73"But there is something beyond the knowledge of Brahman. After jnana comes vijnana. One who has knowledge, who has awareness, has ignorance too. Vasis…
  3037. 74Mani: One has to throw away both ignorance and knowledge?
  3038. 75Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, and that is why one needs vijnana!
  3039. 76"Don't you see? Whoever knows light knows darkness; whoever is aware of happiness is aware of sorrow; whoever is aware of virtue is aware of sin; whoe…
  3040. 77"Vijnana means knowing Him in a special way. To be aware that there is fire in the wood, to believe it: that is jnana. To cook rice on that fire, eat…
  3041. 78"According to one school there is no vision at all: who sees whom? He Himself sees Himself. A ship that goes into the black waters does not come back;…
  3042. 79Mani: Just as you say: once a man is up on top of the Monument he no longer takes in what is below: carriages, horses, ladies and sahibs, houses, room…
  3043. 80Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, these days I don't go to the Kali temple. Is that a fault on my part? Narendra used to remark, "So he still visits the Kali…
  3044. 81Mani: Sir, your states keep changing; what offence can there be in you?
  3045. 82Sri Ramakrishna: You know, about Hriday they told Sen, "Hriday is seriously ill; you must bring him a couple of cloths and two shirts and we will send…
  3046. 83Mani: Sir, those who go about seeking to know God cannot act like that; those whose aim is to gain knowledge.
  3047. 84Sri Ramakrishna: God alone is real; all else is unreal.
  3048. 1Chapter Five
  3049. 2The Primal Power and the doctrine of the Incarnation
  3050. 3On another day the Master is seated on the steps of the south-east verandah in the temple garden at Dakshineswar; Rakhal, M. and Hazra are with him. I…
  3051. 4[Sri Ramakrishna in samadhi at Dakshineswar, and his talk with the Mother of the Universe]
  3052. 5The Master is in samadhi. Evening has fallen. Seated on the small bedstead in his room, he is conversing with the Mother of the Universe: "Mother! Why…
  3053. 6There had been talk of the Master going to the house of a devotee. Is that why he speaks so, seeking the Mother's command?
  3054. 7Sri Ramakrishna talks again with the Mother of the Universe. This time, it seems, he is praying for one of his intimate devotees: "Mother, make him fr…
  3055. 8The Master is silent for a little while. Again he says, "Oh! I see. It is through this that Your work will be done!"
  3056. 9Is the Master saying that with power of one part in sixteen, Her work, that is, the teaching of men, will be done?
  3057. 10Now, in a state of ecstasy, he explains to M. and the others the truth of Adyasakti and of the Incarnation.
  3058. 11"He who is Brahman is Himself Sakti. Him I call Mother. When He is inactive I call Him Brahman; and again, when He does the work of creation, preserva…
  3059. 12"He descends into man, as fish come and collect in a trap."
  3060. 13Some of the devotees are thinking: Is Sri Ramakrishna an Incarnation? Like Sri Krishna, Chaitanya, Christ?
  3061. 1Section Eight
  3062. 2Chapter One
  3063. 3Sri Ramakrishna at Adhar's house with Rakhal, Ishan and other devotees
  3064. 4[A child's faith; the untouchable castes (the Untouchables) and Sankaracharya; the heart of a holy man]
  3065. 5The Master has paid a visit to Adhar's house in Calcutta and is seated in the drawing-room. It is afternoon. Rakhal, Adhar, M., Ishan and others are t…
  3066. 6The Master was fond of Ishanchandra Mukherji. In the Accountant General's office he had held the post of Superintendent; once pensioned, he gave himse…
  3067. 7Ishan's sons were all well educated. The eldest, Gopal, became a District Magistrate; the second, Srishchandra, a District Judge. Satish, a fellow stu…
  3068. 8Narendra was to have come, but he could not. Since taking his pension Ishan has been going often to the Master at Dakshineswar, and now and then he me…
  3069. 9Today is Saturday, the twenty-second of September, 1883.
  3070. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: Let's hear that story of yours, the boy and his letter.
  3071. 11Ishan, smiling: "A boy heard that God created us. So to make his prayer known he wrote a letter to God and posted it; on the envelope he put the addre…
  3072. 12Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "You see! Faith like this boy's! That is when it happens." To Ishan: "And that saying about the giving up of rites?"
  3073. 13Ishan: When God is attained, the evening devotions and other rites fall away. On the bank of the Ganges everyone was performing the sandhya except one…
  3074. 14Sri Ramakrishna: And that one about there being no caste distinctions once the Self is known?
  3075. 15The kingdom of heaven is revealed unto babes but is hidden from the wise and the prudent.—Bible.
  3076. 16"Mother Delusion has died, and a son, Awakening, is born. With both these impurities upon us, how can we perform the sandhya? In the sky of the heart…
  3077. 17Ishan: Sankaracharya had bathed in the Ganges at Kasi and was going up the steps when he saw in front of him a chandala who kept dogs, and he said, "Y…
  3078. 18Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And that about the harmony? That He can be reached through every faith?
  3079. 19Ishan, smiling: Hari and Hara are from one root; only the suffix differs. He who is Hari is Hara. Faith is all that is needed.
  3080. 20Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And that other saying, that nothing is so vast as a holy man's heart.
  3081. 21Ishan, smiling: The earth is the greatest of all; greater than that is the sea; greater still, the sky. But Lord Vishnu covered the three worlds, heav…
  3082. 22The devotees rejoice to hear all this.
  3083. 23"With mind united in yoga, seeing the same everywhere, he beholds the Self as dwelling in every being, and every being in the Self." [Gita]
  3084. 24"As men approach Me, so do I receive them." [Gita]
  3085. 25Chapter Two
  3086. 26The worship of the Primal Power is itself the worship of Brahman: Brahman and Sakti are one
  3087. 27[Identity of God the Absolute and God the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer]
  3088. 28Ishan is going to perform a purascharana of the Gayatri at Bhatpara. The Gayatri is the mantra of Brahman. Without the complete going of the worldly m…
  3089. 29[The quest of the Absolute and Ishan. The Vedantic position, 'I am He' (So'ham)]
  3090. 30Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: Why do you go about saying "Not this, not this"? Nothing whatever can be said of Brahman; one can only say "It is", "Rama a…
  3091. 31"All that we see and think is the glory of that Primal Power, that Power of Consciousness: creation, preservation and destruction; the living beings a…
  3092. 32"But Brahman and Sakti are one. After returning from Lanka, Hanuman is singing the praises of Rama: 'O Rama, it is You who are the Supreme Brahman, an…
  3093. 33"For those whose minds are set on the Unmanifest the trouble is greater; for the goal of the Unmanifest is hard for embodied beings to reach." [Gita]
  3094. 34"He cannot be reached by speech, nor by mind, nor by the eye. To one who has grasped Him as 'He is', His true nature becomes clear." [Katha Upanishad,…
  3095. 35"This Primal Power, Mahamaya, has covered Brahman. When the covering goes, 'I am what I was'! 'I am You', 'You are I'!
  3096. 36"As long as the covering remains, the Vedantist's 'So'ham', 'I am that Supreme Brahman', does not really fit. The wave belongs to the water, but the w…
  3097. 37[Adyasakti, the Incarnation's lila, and Ishan: What is Maya? Vedas, Puranas and Tantras reconciled]
  3098. 38"The lila of the Incarnation: all of it belongs to the glory of Chit-sakti. The very One who is Brahman becomes Rama, Krishna, Siva."
  3099. 39Ishan: "Hari and Hara are one root; only the suffix differs." Everyone laughed.
  3100. 40Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, there is one and no second. The Vedas say "Om Satchidananda Brahman", the Puranas say "Om Satchidananda Krishna", and the Tantra…
  3101. 41"That Power of Consciousness, in the form of Mahamaya, has made all ignorant. The Adhyatma Ramayana tells how the rishis, seeing Rama, said only this:…
  3102. 42Ishan: What is this maya?
  3103. 43Sri Ramakrishna: All that you see, hear and think is maya. To put it in a word, it is "woman and gold" that is the covering of maya.
  3104. 44"Chewing betel, eating fish, smoking tobacco, rubbing oil on the body: there is no harm in these. What is the use of giving up only these things? What…
  3105. 45[Keshab Chandra Sen and Renunciation. The "New Dispensation" and belief in the formless: Dogmatism]
  3106. 46"I told Keshab Sen: put a patient in delirium in the room that holds the water-jar and the pickles and tamarind, and how is he to recover? From time t…
  3107. 47A devotee: Sir, what sort of thing is the New Dispensation? It seems like a hotchpotch of dal and rice!
  3108. 48Sri Ramakrishna: Some say it is modern. I think: is the God of the Brahmo a different God? They call it the New Dispensation, a new law. Well, so it m…
  3109. 49"But do you know the mistake of those who believe in the formless God? Their mistake is this: they say, 'He is formless,' and hold every other view to…
  3110. 50"I know He is both with form and formless, and He may be ever so much more besides. He can be everything.
  3111. 51"Knowledge is veiled by ignorance; by it creatures are deluded. This divine maya of Mine, made of the gunas, is hard to cross; those who take refuge i…
  3112. 52"There is no end to My divine manifestations, O scorcher of foes." [Gita, chapter 10]
  3113. 53[God in the 'Untouchables']
  3114. 54To Ishan: "It is that Chit-sakti, Mahamaya, who exists as the twenty-four tattvas. Once while I was meditating my mind wandered off to the house of Ra…
  3115. 55"Is that Primal Power female or male? Once, in my part of the country, I saw Kali worshipped in the house of the Lahas. They had hung a sacred thread…
  3116. 56"It is said that Mahamaya swallowed Siva at a gulp. When the knowledge of the six centres arose within the Mother, Siva came out by way of Her thigh,…
  3117. 57"One must take refuge in that Power of Consciousness, that Mahamaya."
  3118. 58Ishan: Please be gracious to me.
  3119. 59[Teaching to Ishan, "Dive deep." Why a guru? Brahmin pandits, scriptures and Ishan: Mere Book-Learning]
  3120. 60Sri Ramakrishna: Say with a simple heart, "O God, reveal Yourself to me," and weep; and say, "O God, draw my mind away from 'woman and gold'."
  3121. 61"And dive deep. Can you find gems by floating on the surface or swimming about? You must dive.
  3122. 62"The great elements, egoism, buddhi and the Unmanifest; the ten senses and the one; the five fields of sense." [Gita, chapter 13]
  3123. 63"That Imperishable, O Gargi, unseen, sees; unheard, hears; unthought of, thinks; unknown, knows. Apart from This there is no seer, no other hearer, no…
  3124. 64"One must get directions from the guru. A man was looking for a bana-linga of Siva. Someone told him, 'Go to such-and-such a river; you will see a tre…
  3125. 65Ishan: Yes, sir.
  3126. 66Sri Ramakrishna: It is Satchidananda who comes as the guru. If one takes initiation from a human guru and looks on him as a man, nothing will come of…
  3127. 67"And don't mix too much with brahmin pandits. All they think of is getting a few pice.
  3128. 68"I have seen a brahmin come to recite prayers for someone's welfare, reading the Chandi or some such text. I've seen him turn over half the pages at o…
  3129. 69"To kill oneself a nail-parer is enough. It is to kill others that one needs sword and shield: the scriptures and so on!
  3130. 70"There is no need of many scriptures. Without discrimination mere learning does nothing; even the six systems of philosophy are of no avail. Weep for…
  3131. 71"You are the Father of the world, of all that moves and is still; You are the guru of the universe, greater than all."—Gita.
  3132. 72"The highest is contemplation of the Real; the middling, study of the scriptures; the lowest, contemplation of mantras; and roaming about to holy plac…
  3133. 73[Practice in secret; Ishan and an obsession with purity]
  3134. 74The Master has heard that Ishan was having a thatched hut built on the bank of the Ganges at Bhatpara for his purascharana.
  3135. 75Sri Ramakrishna, eagerly, to Ishan: Well, is the hut finished? You know, the less people hear about such things the better. Those who have sattva medi…
  3136. 76Ishan sometimes takes Hazra with him to Bhatpara. Hazra keeps the rules of purity like a man obsessed. Sri Ramakrishna had forbidden him to behave so.
  3137. 77Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: And look, don't overdo the rules of purity. A holy man was very thirsty. A water-carrier was passing with water and offered…
  3138. 78"And have faith in His name. Then you will not even need pilgrimages."
  3139. 79So saying, the Master, lost in ecstasy, sings:
  3140. 80[The giving up of rites in the state of perfection]
  3141. 81Who cares for Gaya, the Ganges, Prabhasa, Kasi or Kanchi, If, chanting "Kali, Kali, Kali", his unspoken prayer comes to its end? He who says "Kali" at…
  3142. 82Ishan hears it all and sits silent.
  3143. 83"The body ever discharges its foul matter by its nine gates; it is evil-smelling and filthy; at its touch a bath is enjoined."—Maitreyi Upanishad.
  3144. 84[Teaching to Ishan: faith like a child's; first practise disciplines like Janaka, then God can be attained in the world]
  3145. 85Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: Ask, if any knot of doubt is left.
  3146. 86Ishan: Sir, it is what you said: faith.
  3147. 87Sri Ramakrishna: It is only through true faith that He is attained. And if one believes in everything, it comes all the sooner. If a cow picks and cho…
  3148. 88"Rajkrishna Banerji's son told a story: a man was commanded, 'See your Chosen Ideal in this very sheep.' And he believed it. For it is He who is in al…
  3149. 89"A guru had told a devotee, 'Rama is in every pot and pitcher.' At once the devotee had faith! Seeing a dog make off with a piece of bread, the devote…
  3150. 90"And what faith Krishnakishore had! He used to say, 'Om Krishna! Om Rama! Uttering this mantra gives the fruit of ten million sandhyas!'
  3151. 91"And Krishnakishore used to whisper to me, 'Don't tell anyone, but I don't care for the sandhya and all that.'
  3152. 92"It is the same with me. The Mother shows me that She Herself has become everything. After answering the call of nature I am coming from the tamarisk…
  3153. 93"So it is as you said: in faith everything is found."
  3154. 94"Relinquishing every dharma, come to Me as your only refuge. From all sins I shall release you; grieve not." [Gita]
  3155. 95[The difficult Problem of the Householder and the Lord's Grace.]
  3156. 96Ishan: But we are living in the world.
  3157. 97Sri Ramakrishna: So what? Where His grace is, the impossible becomes possible. There is Ramprasad's song, "This world is a framework of illusion." Som…
  3158. 98This world is a mansion of mirth. What did King Janaka, mighty and great, ever lack? He kept hold of this side and that, and drank his cup of milk.
  3159. 99"But one can be a 'King Janaka' only if one first practises disciplines in solitude, in secret, attains God, and then lives in the world. Otherwise ho…
  3160. 100"Don't you see? Kartik, Ganesh, Lakshmi and Saraswati are all there; yet Siva is sometimes in samadhi, and sometimes dances, crying 'Rama, Rama'!"
  3161. 101"With man it is impossible, but nothing is impossible with the Lord."—Christ.
  3162. 1Section Nine
  3163. 2Chapter One
  3164. 3With the devotees at Dakshineswar: 23 September 1883
  3165. 4Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in the temple at Dakshineswar. Rakhal, M., Ram, Hazra and others are present; Hazra is sitting on the out…
  3166. 5Nityagopal, Tarak and some other devotees live at Ram's house. He has taken them in and looks after them with care.
  3167. 6Rakhal sometimes goes to stay at Adhar Sen's house. Nityagopal is always absorbed in ecstasy. Tarak too has turned inward; these days he says little t…
  3168. 7[Sri Ramakrishna's concern for Narendra]
  3169. 8The Master now speaks of Narendra.
  3170. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to a devotee: Narendra doesn't like you either. (To M.) Why didn't Narendra come to Adhar's house?
  3171. 10"So many gifts in Narendra alone: in singing, in playing, in study! The other day he was leaving here in the Captain's carriage. The Captain pressed h…
  3172. 11[Gauri Pandit the Sakta, and Sri Ramakrishna]
  3173. 12"What is the use of mere learning? One needs spiritual practice. There was Gauri, from Indesh: a scholar, and a sadhaka too. He was a Sakta, and at ti…
  3174. 13"A Kartabhaja explained the word nirakara, 'formless', as nira-akara, 'the form of water'. Gauri flew into a rage at that.
  3175. 14"At first he was something of a bigoted Sakta: he would pick up tulsi leaves with two sticks and would not touch them." Everyone laughed. "Then he wen…
  3176. 15"I had planted a tulsi plant in front of the Kali temple; it died. They say it won't grow where goats are sacrificed."
  3177. 16"Gauri explained everything beautifully. 'E, ai!' ('This, that!') he explained so: This is the disciple! That is your Chosen Ideal! And Ravana's ten h…
  3178. 17[Ram, Tarak and Nityagopal]
  3179. 18After his midday meal the Master is resting a little. Ram, Tarak, that is, Sivananda, and other devotees arrive from Calcutta. They bow to the Master…
  3180. 19Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram: Has Nityagopal learnt to play?
  3181. 20Ram: No, he can play just a little, after a fashion.
  3182. 21Sri Ramakrishna: And Tarak?
  3183. 22Ram: He will manage it quite well.
  3184. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Then he won't keep his face bent down so much. If the mind is set too much on one thing, it is not so much on God.
  3185. 24Ram: To my mind, I am learning only for the sake of kirtan.
  3186. 25Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I hear you have learnt to sing?
  3187. 26M., smiling: No, sir; I only hum a little.
  3188. 27[My true mood: "No more of reasoning about knowledge; make me mad, Mother"]
  3189. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Do you practise that one? If you do, sing it:
  3190. 29"No more of reasoning about knowledge; make me mad, Mother."
  3191. 30Sri Ramakrishna: You see, that is my true mood.
  3192. 31[Teaching to Hazra: love all beings; give up contempt and fault-finding]
  3193. 32Hazra used to show contempt for certain people.
  3194. 33Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram and the other devotees: In my part of the country I used to go and stay very often at the house of a certain family. They were…
  3195. 34"That is why I tell Hazra this, and I also tell him: don't speak ill of anyone."
  3196. 35It was nearly four o'clock. In due course the Master went to the tamarisk grove to wash his face and so on. A carpet was spread on the verandah to the…
  3197. 36A devotee is jokingly describing the ways of some of the Suvarnavaniks, and the Master laughs. They love bread with ghanta curry, whether there are ot…
  3198. 37Sri Ramakrishna laughs, but gives no opinion of his own.
  3199. 38[The Master in samadhi; his talk with the Mother of the Universe]
  3200. 39Evening fell. Sri Ramakrishna is standing in the north-west corner of the courtyard, in samadhi.
  3201. 40After a long while his mind came back to the outer world. What a wonderful state the Master is in! These days he is almost always in samadhi. At the l…
  3202. 41[Sri Ramakrishna's state in which rites fall away]
  3203. 42Coming out of samadhi, he talks with the Divine Mother as he stands. He says: "Mother, worship has gone and japa has gone. See, Mother, that You do no…
  3204. 43This morning Sri Ramakrishna had gone to the Kali temple and offered flowers at the holy lotus feet of the Divine Mother. Again he is talking with the…
  3205. 44Sri Ramakrishna says: Mother, this morning I placed two flowers at Your feet, and I thought: good, my mind is turning again towards (outward) worship.…
  3206. 45It is the dark seventh of Bhadra. As yet there is no moon; darkness covers the night. Sri Ramakrishna is still in ecstasy, and in that state he sits d…
  3207. 46For one who delights in the Self alone ... there remains nothing to be done.—Gita.
  3208. 47[Teaching to Ishan: "In the Kaliyuga the path of the Vedas does not work"; "Practise with the attitude of a child to its mother"]
  3209. 48Now, it seems, he is speaking to the Mother about the devotees. He speaks of Ishan Mukherji. Ishan had said, I shall go to Bhatpara and perform the pu…
  3210. 49In ecstasy the Master says: "The purascharana of the Gayatri again! Jumping from one roof to the next! ... Who put that idea into his head? He is thin…
  3211. 50To M.: "Tell me, is all this of mine from wind, or from bhava?"
  3212. 51M. watches in amazement as Sri Ramakrishna talks in this way with the Divine Mother. In amazement he sees that God is very near us, outside and within…
  3213. 52The wise ever behold that supreme abode of Vishnu, spread out like the eye in the sky.
  3214. 1Chapter Two
  3215. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar with Rakhal and other devotees
  3216. 3At Dakshineswar the Master is seated on the raised platform before the Kali shrine, seeing the World-Mother in Her image. Close by sit M. and some oth…
  3217. 4A little earlier the Master had been saying: "There is no way of reckoning anything about God. His glories are infinite! What can a man say with his m…
  3218. 5"Can He be understood! So mine is the attitude of the kitten, which stays wherever its mother puts it. I know nothing. A little child does not know ho…
  3219. 6Sri Ramakrishna, sitting on the platform of the Kali temple, sings Her praises: "O Mother! O Mother! You whose form is Om! Mother! These people say so…
  3220. 7The evening worship in the temples is over. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the small bedstead in his room; Mahendra is sitting on the floor.
  3221. 8In earlier days Mahendra used to go regularly to Keshab Sen's Brahmo Samaj. Since he met the Master he goes there no more. He has been amazed to see h…
  3222. 9Mahendra has been coming to the Master for nearly two years, receiving his darshan and his grace. To him, as to the rest, the Master is forever saying…
  3223. 10[Sri Ramakrishna and Mahendra: with form and without form; the sense of Duty; for the devotee, a worldly life of ignorance is the agony of death]
  3224. 11Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahendra: You have taken hold of one, haven't you, the formless?
  3225. 12Mahendra: Yes, sir. But, as you say, all things are possible; form too is possible.
  3226. 13Sri Ramakrishna: Good. And know that He pervades the whole universe, moving and unmoving, as Consciousness.
  3227. 14Mahendra: I think of Him as the one who makes even the conscious conscious.
  3228. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Stay in that attitude for now; there is no need to force a change of attitude. In time you will come to know: that consciousness is H…
  3229. 16"Tell me, have you any attraction to money and wealth?
  3230. 17Mahendra: No; only so as to be free from worry, so that, free from worry, I may think of God.
  3231. 18Sri Ramakrishna: That is natural enough.
  3232. 19Mahendra: Greed, no.
  3233. 20Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that's true; in that case who would look after your children?
  3234. 21"If you came to feel that you are not the doer, then what would become of your children?"
  3235. 22Mahendra: I have heard that knowledge does not come while duty remains. Duty is the scorching sun!
  3236. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Stay in that frame of mind for now. Afterwards, when the sense of duty drops away of itself, it will be a different matter.
  3237. 24All remained silent for a while.
  3238. 25Mahendra: A worldly life after some knowledge! That is to die fully conscious: cholera!
  3239. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Rama! Rama!
  3240. 27If one is conscious at the time of death there is great agony, as there is in Cholera. It seems that is what Mahendra is saying. A worldly life of ign…
  3241. 28Mahendra: Other people are at least like patients in delirium; they become unconscious and feel no agony at death!
  3242. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Just see! What is the use of having money! Jaygopal Sen has so much money, yet he complains that his sons don't obey him properly.
  3243. 30Mahendra: Is poverty the only sorrow in the world? On one side there are the six passions, and then disease and grief.
  3244. 31Sri Ramakrishna: And then there is honour and prestige, the desire to be esteemed by people.
  3245. 32"Tell me, what is my state?
  3246. 33Mahendra: What a man is when he wakes from sleep, what, what he is meant to become: that. Always in union with God!
  3247. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Do you see me in your dreams?
  3248. 35Mahendra: Yes, many times.
  3249. 36Sri Ramakrishna: In what way? Do you see me giving some teaching?
  3250. 37Mahendra is silent.
  3251. 38Sri Ramakrishna: If you see me teaching, know that it is Satchidananda.
  3252. 39Then Mahendra described everything he had seen in his dreams, and Sri Ramakrishna listened to it all attentively.
  3253. 40Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahendra: That is very good. Don't bring in any more reasoning. You people are Saktas.
  3254. 1Section Nine
  3255. 2Sri Ramakrishna in Dakshineswar's Kali temple
  3256. 3Chapter One
  3257. 4The difference between a pandit and a holy man; in the Kaliyuga, the bhakti taught by Narada
  3258. 5Today is Wednesday, the dark tenth of Bhadra, the twenty-sixth of September, 1883. On a Wednesday few devotees come, because everyone has his work to…
  3259. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "Tell me, did you see Narendra?" Smiling: "Narendra has been saying, he still goes to the Kali temple; once he comes right, he…
  3260. 7"His family are very much put out at his coming here from time to time. He came the other day in a carriage, and Surendra paid the fare. So Narendra's…
  3261. 8Still talking about Narendra, the Master got up, and talking all the while he went out and stood on the north-east verandah. Hazra, Kishori, Rakhal an…
  3262. 9Sri Ramakrishna: Well now, how is it you have come so early today? Is there no school?
  3263. 10M.: We were let off at half past one today.
  3264. 11Sri Ramakrishna: Why so early?
  3265. 12M.: Vidyasagar came to see the school. It is Vidyasagar's school, so when he comes the boys are given a holiday to enjoy themselves.
  3266. 13[Vidyasagar and truthfulness; the life story from the Master's own lips]
  3267. 14Sri Ramakrishna: Why doesn't Vidyasagar speak the truth?
  3268. 15"'Truthful speech, and every other man's wife seen as one's own mother: if Hari is not found by these, then Tulsi's tongue is false.' Only if one hold…
  3269. 16"There is a world of difference between a pandit and a holy man. A man who is only a pandit has his mind on woman and gold. A holy man's mind is at th…
  3270. 17[In the Kaliyuga the Vedic way does not work: the path of knowledge]
  3271. 18"One day he read from the Gita. He was so strict about it that he would not read looking towards a worldly man! He read looking at me. Sejo Babu was t…
  3272. 19M.: Aren't those holy men Vedantists?
  3273. 20Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, they are Vedantists, but they accept the path of devotion too. You see, in this Kaliyuga the Vedic way does not work. Someone on…
  3274. 21"Vedic rites are very hard. And on top of that comes servitude. It is said that if a man serves someone in that way for twelve years or so, he becomes…
  3275. 22"A holy man of the Vedanta school came here once. He would dance when he saw the clouds, and storms and rain filled him with joy. If anyone went near…
  3276. 23Chapter Two
  3277. 24Sri Ramakrishna the guru at Dakshineswar: he shows the state of the paramahamsa
  3278. 25As he spoke of holy men, Sri Ramakrishna began to show the state of the paramahamsa. That gait, just like a child's! Laughter seemed now and again to…
  3279. 26Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: It was from Nangta that I heard Vedanta: "Brahman is real, the world is unreal." A juggler comes and does so many tricks; he…
  3280. 27Mani: Life is like one long sleep! This much I can see, that I am not seeing things rightly. With the very mind that cannot understand the sky I am lo…
  3281. 28The Master: There is another way of putting it. We don't see the sky rightly either; it looks as if it were lying on the ground. In the same way, how…
  3282. 29In his sweet voice the Master sang of the delirium and its physician:
  3283. 30O Sankari, what a delirium is this! If I gain the raft of Your grace, Your feet, that is the healer.
  3284. 31"Delirium indeed! Don't you see how worldly people quarrel? What they quarrel over, there's no telling. And what quarrels! May such-and-such befall yo…
  3285. 32Mani: I said to Kishori that there is nothing in the empty box, and yet two people are pulling at it, thinking there's money inside!
  3286. 33[The body an affliction: 'To be or not to be'; and the world a mansion of mirth]
  3287. 34"Well, it is the body that is the cause of all this trouble. Seeing all that, the jnanis think: if only I could cast off this shell, what a relief!"
  3288. 35The Master was on his way to the Kali temple.
  3289. 36The Master: Why? This world is a frame of illusion, but it has also been called a mansion of mirth. What if there is a body? The world can surely be a…
  3290. 37Mani: Where is unbroken bliss?
  3291. 38The Master: Yes, that is true.
  3292. 39The Master came before the Kali temple. He prostrated himself before the Mother, and Mani bowed down too. The Master sat on the lower platform before…
  3293. 40Mani: If that is so, what need is there to take a body at all? As far as I can see, the body is there to work out a load of karma. Who knows what it i…
  3294. 41The Master: A gram seed grows into a gram plant even when it falls on a dung heap.
  3295. 42Mani: Even so, there are the eight bonds, aren't there?
  3296. 43[Satchidananda the guru: freedom by the guru's grace]
  3297. 44The Master: Not eight bonds; eight fetters. What if they are there? By His grace the eight fetters can go in an instant. Do you know how? Think of a r…
  3298. 45[Sri Ramakrishna, the cause of Keshab Sen's change]
  3299. 46"Well, tell me, why did Keshab Sen change so much? He used to come here a great deal, you know. It was from here that he learnt to bow down. One day I…
  3300. 47Mani listens to all this in wonder. He has understood: it is Satchidananda who passes the cheques, appearing as the guru.
  3301. 48[The past: Nangta's teaching: He cannot be known]
  3302. 49The Master: Don't reason. Who can know Him? I have kept in mind what Nangta used to say: this universe stands in one part of Him.
  3303. 50"Hazra is much given to reasoning. He works it out: so much has become the world, so much is left over. Hearing his sums makes my head throb. This I k…
  3304. 51Mani: Yes, sir, can He be understood? Each man takes the little that fits his own understanding and thinks he has grasped the whole. Just as you say:…
  3305. 52[Can God be known? The way is self-surrender]
  3306. 53The Master: Who is going to know Him? I don't even try! All I do is call on Her as Mother! Mother does what She will. If She wills, She will make Him…
  3307. 54Suddenly Sri Ramakrishna points to himself, puts his hand on his own breast, and says to Mani, "Well, there is something in here. What do you say?"
  3308. 55He gazes at the Master in wonder. It seems he is thinking: Is the Mother Herself within the Master's heart? Has the Mother taken a body and come? For…
  3309. 1Section Ten
  3310. 2Chapter One
  3311. 3Sri Ramakrishna at the Durga Puja Festival in Adhar's House
  3312. 4On the day of the Navami puja Sri Ramakrishna is standing in the worship hall of Sri Adhar's house. Evening has fallen, and he is watching the arati o…
  3313. 5Today is Wednesday, the tenth of October, 1883, the twenty-fourth of Aswin. Sri Ramakrishna has come with devotees; among those present are Balaram's…
  3314. 6Having seen the evening arati, Sri Ramakrishna stands in the worship hall, filled with bhava. In that state he is singing to the Mother.
  3315. 7Adhar is a householder devotee, and many other householder devotees are present, scorched by the threefold misery. That, it seems, is why Sri Ramakris…
  3316. 8Save me, O Tarini! Save me now, and quickly; Your creature goes in terror, Mother, terrified of the Sun's son, Yama. Mother of the world, sustainer of…
  3317. 9Sri Ramakrishna in Bhava Talks with the World-Mother
  3318. 10Sri Ramakrishna has gone upstairs to the drawing-room on the first floor of Adhar's house and sat down. Many invited guests have come into the room.
  3319. 11Balaram's father, Sarada Babu and others are sitting near him.
  3320. 12The Master is still in bhava. Addressing the invited guests, he says, "Gentlemen, I have eaten; now you go and enjoy the feast."
  3321. 13The Mother has accepted Adhar's offering of food and worship; is that why Sri Ramakrishna, possessed by the World-Mother, says, "I have eaten, now you…
  3322. 14In bhava the Master says to the World-Mother, "Mother, shall I eat? Or will You eat? Mother, You whose form is the bliss of the Cause!"
  3323. 15Does Sri Ramakrishna see the World-Mother and himself as one? Has She who is the Mother come down as the Child to teach mankind? Is that why the Maste…
  3324. 16Now in bhava he sees the six centres within the body, and the Mother within them! So again, lost in bhava, he sings:
  3325. 17You have bewitched the world, Mother, enchantress of Hara! In the great lotus of the Muladhara You delight in playing the vina. In the Adhara You soun…
  3326. 18Song: Thinking what thought has my life gone from me? She at whose name Time flees, at whose feet lies Mahakala, why has She taken a black form? There…
  3327. 19When one takes refuge in the Mother who frees from fear, all fear goes; that, it seems, is why he is giving the devotees freedom from fear and singing…
  3328. 20I have given my life to the fearless feet. Do I keep any fear of Yama now? I have planted in my heart the wish-fulfilling tree of Kali's name. I have…
  3329. 21Sri Sarada Babu is overwhelmed with grief for his son, and so his friend Adhar has brought him to the Master at Dakshineswar. He is a devotee of Gaura…
  3330. 22Why has my body turned golden?
  3331. 23Now, filled with the bhava of Sri Gauranga, he sings. He says that Sarada Babu loves this song very much:
  3332. 24Of course bhava will come to Sri Gauranga, the treasure-house of bhava! In bhava he laughs, weeps, dances and sings. Seeing a wood, he thinks it Vrind…
  3333. 25Song: The neighbours raise a clamour, Mother, They call me the woman disgraced for Gaura. Is this a thing to say? Where could I say it? I am dying of…
  3334. 26Balaram's father is a Vaishnava. That, it seems, is why Sri Ramakrishna now sings a song of the gopis' frenzied love:
  3335. 27I could not come near Syam, my friend. What joy is left to keep me at home! If Syam were the hair upon my head, I would braid it with care, my friend,…
  3336. 28Chapter Two
  3337. 29Sri Ramakrishna and the Harmony of All Religions: Talk with Balaram's Father
  3338. 30Balaram's father has zamindari estates in many parts of Orissa, Bhadrak among them, and the family maintains the worship of the deity and guest-houses…
  3339. 31Balaram's father is a Vaishnava of the old school. Many Vaishnava devotees have no sympathy with Saktas, Saivas and Vedantists; some hate them. But Sr…
  3340. 32An Earlier Story: Sri Ramakrishna Takes the Garb of a Vaishnava Monk, and the Rama Mantra
  3341. 33Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I said to myself, why be one-sided? In Vrindavan I too took the garb of a Vaishnava monk, and stayed in that way for three day…
  3342. 34Teaching to Balaram's Father: "God Is with Attributes and Without, with Form and Again Formless"
  3343. 35"A man had a tub. People used to come to him to have their cloth dyed. There was dye mixed in the tub, but whatever colour a man wanted, the cloth cam…
  3344. 36Is the Master saying that people of every faith will come to him and awaken to Spirit?
  3345. 37Sri Ramakrishna goes on: "There was a chameleon on a tree. One man saw it and went away saying it was green; a second man saw it as black, a third as…
  3346. 38Is Sri Ramakrishna saying that God is with attributes and takes many forms, and again, without attributes, has no colour at all and is beyond speech a…
  3347. 39Sri Ramakrishna, to Balaram's father: Don't read any more books; but do read the scriptures of bhakti, such as the Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita.
  3348. 40The Meaning of the Play of Radha and Krishna: Rasa and the One Who Relishes It; The one thing needful
  3349. 41"The thing is this: to love Him and to taste His sweetness. He is the rasa, the devotee is the one who relishes it and drinks it. He is the lotus, the…
  3350. 42"As the devotee cannot live without God, so God too cannot live without the devotee. Then the devotee becomes the rasa and God the one who relishes it…
  3351. 43Teaching to Balaram's Father: How Long Pilgrimage and Such Works, Beads on the Neck, the Garb and Outward Observance?
  3352. 44"Pilgrimage, beads round the neck, outward observance: all this one has to do at the beginning. When the Real is gained, when God is seen, the outward…
  3353. 45"For the man who delights in the Self alone, there is no work left to do." Bhagavad Gita When the Supreme Brahman is known, all rules are needless: wh…
  3354. 46"Sixteen rupees in copper pice make a big heap; but when you have changed them into sixteen silver rupees the heap no longer looks so large. And when…
  3355. 47"A merchantman sold all, wound up his business, and bought a pearl of great price." Bible
  3356. 48If a man has no beads round his neck and keeps no outward observance, the Vaishnavas speak ill of him. Is that why the Master is saying that after God…
  3357. 49Sri Ramakrishna, to Balaram's father: The Kartabhajas speak of the beginner, the striver, the perfected, and the perfect among the perfected. The begi…
  3358. 50Teaching to Balaram's Father: Sattvic Spiritual Practice, the Harmony of All Religions, and Giving Up Bigotry
  3359. 51"There are many kinds of spiritual aspirant. Sattvic practice is done in secret: such a striver hides his spiritual practice and worship; to look at h…
  3360. 52"The rajasic striver keeps up an outward show: beads round his neck, the monk's garb, the ochre cloth, the silk cloth, a rosary strung with gold beads…
  3361. 53Vaishnava devotees have little regard for the Vedanta doctrine or the Sakta doctrine. The Master is teaching Balaram's father to give up such narrowne…
  3362. 54Sri Ramakrishna, to Balaram's father and the others: "Whatever the religion, whatever the doctrine, all are calling on the one God; so no religion, no…
  3363. 55"Among the Vaishnavas there are many grades. The Vedas call Him Brahman; one group of Vaishnavas calls Him Alekh Niranjan. Alekh means the One who can…
  3364. 56"According to Vedanta there is no Incarnation; to the Vedantists, Rama and Krishna are two waves on the ocean of Satchidananda.
  3365. 57"There is only One, not two. Whatever name a man uses, if he calls on God from his heart he will surely reach Him. If only there is longing, that is e…
  3366. 58Lost in bhava, Sri Ramakrishna had been saying all this to the devotees. Now he has come to himself a little, and he says, "Are you Balaram's father?"
  3367. 59Teaching to Balaram's Father: "Be Full of Longing"
  3368. 60All are quiet for a little while; Balaram's aged father is silently telling his beads with the name of Hari.
  3369. 61Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and the others: "Now look, these men repeat the name so much, they have made so many pilgrimages, so why are they like this? It…
  3370. 62"I said to Harish, 'What need is there to go to Kasi if there is no longing? If there is longing, Kasi is right here.'
  3371. 63"So many pilgrimages, so much japa, and why does nothing come of it? There is no longing. Call on Him with longing, and He shows Himself.
  3372. 64"At the start of a jatra performance there is a great deal of clattering and banging, and Sri Krishna is nowhere to be seen. Then the sage Narada come…
  3373. 1Section Eleven
  3374. 2Chapter One
  3375. 3The Kojagari Lakshmi Full Moon at Dakshineswar, 1883
  3376. 4With Rakhal, Balaram's Father, Benipal, M., Mani Mallick, Ishan, Kishori (Gupta) and Others
  3377. 5Today is Tuesday, the sixteenth of October, 1883. Balaram's father and other devotees are present. Balaram's father is a devout Vaishnava; in his hand…
  3378. 6Orthodox Vaishnavas do not much care for people of other sects. But Balaram's father has been coming now and then to see Sri Ramakrishna, and he has n…
  3379. 7Sri Ramakrishna: Those whose outlook is broad accept all the deities: Krishna, Kali, Siva, Rama and the rest.
  3380. 8Balaram's father: Yes, like one husband in different clothes.
  3381. 9Sri Ramakrishna: But there is such a thing as steadfast devotion. When the gopis had gone to Mathura and saw Krishna wearing a turban, they drew their…
  3382. 10"Hanuman too had steadfast devotion. In the Dvapara age, when he came to Dwaraka, Krishna said to Rukmini, Hanuman will not be content without seeing…
  3383. 11The Wonderful State of Sri Ramakrishna: The Yoga of the Nitya and the Lila
  3384. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Who knows, my dear sir, this is the kind of state I am in. I keep coming down from the Nitya, the Eternal, into the Lila, the play, a…
  3385. 13"To reach the Nitya is called the knowledge of Brahman. It is very hard. It cannot happen unless worldly-mindedness has gone altogether. When the Divi…
  3386. 14M.'s note: Devi Bhagavata, Book Seven, chapters 31 and 35-36.
  3387. 15"From that One the many have come; from the Nitya, the Lila. In one state the 'many' goes, and the 'One' goes too, because so long as there is one, th…
  3388. 16M.'s note: 'Not this material light': 'the Light of lights.' "That is the pure Light of lights, that which the knowers of the Self know." Mundaka Upan…
  3389. 17"And again, when He changes the state, when He brings the mind down into the Lila, then I see that He has become everything: God, maya, the jivas, the…
  3390. 18M.'s note: "You are born, and Your face is turned every way." Svetasvatara Upanishad
  3391. 19God the Doer: 'You and Yours'
  3392. 20"And sometimes He shows that He has made all these beings and this world, like a master and his garden. That He is the doer and that all these beings…
  3393. 21Balaram's father: Yes, sir.
  3394. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Until one feels 'You are the doer', one has to come back again and again; there will be birth again. Once one feels 'You are the doer…
  3395. 23"Until a man cries, Thou, Thou, he will not be let go! The coming and going, the rebirth, will go on; there will be no liberation. And what is the use…
  3396. 24"'I and mine' has covered the Truth; it does not let us know it.
  3397. 25Knowledge of Non-duality and the Vision of Chaitanya
  3398. 26"Without the knowledge of non-duality there is no vision of Chaitanya, Consciousness. When Chaitanya is seen, then comes Nityananda, eternal bliss. In…
  3399. 27"According to Vedanta there is no Incarnation. In that view Chaitanyadeva is one bubble of the non-dual. What is the vision of Chaitanya like? It is l…
  3400. 28The Incarnation, or the Jewel of a Man
  3401. 29"According to bhakti there is the Incarnation. A woman of the Kartabhaja sect saw my state and said, 'Father, within you the Real has been attained. D…
  3402. 30"When I was eating she used to say, Father, are you eating, or are you feeding someone?
  3403. 31"This knowledge of 'I' is what keeps it covered. Narendra said, 'The more this "I" goes, the more His "I" will come.' Kedar says, 'The more earth ther…
  3404. 32"Krishna said to Arjuna, Brother! If you keep a single one of the eight siddhis, you will not attain Me. A little power may come! The gutika siddhi; c…
  3405. 33"So I asked only for pure devotion from the Mother; I did not want occult powers."
  3406. 34As he was saying this to Balaram's father, Beni Pal, M., Mani Mallick and the others, Sri Ramakrishna passed into samadhi. He sat there unconscious of…
  3407. 35When the samadhi breaks, Sri Ramakrishna sings:
  3408. 36Friend, where have I found Him, for whom I have gone mad?
  3409. 37Now he asks Sri Ramlal to sing. Ramlal sings; first of all, Gauranga's taking of sannyasa:
  3410. 38Oh, what did I see in the hut of Kesava Bharati! The wondrous radiance of Sri Gauranga's form! Love streams from his two eyes in a hundred torrents. G…
  3411. 39After this song of Chaitanyadeva's 'mad' frenzy of love, at a sign from the Master, Ramlal sings again, of the madness of the gopis:
  3412. 40Do not hold, do not hold the chariot wheel! Does the chariot move by its wheels? Hari is the turner of the wheel, by whose wheel the world goes round.
  3413. 41Song: What is the hue of a fresh rain cloud beside the beauty of Syamchand? A flute in his hand, a smile on his lips, his beauty lights up the world.
  3414. 42Chapter Two
  3415. 43When there is devotion to Hari, caste distinctions no longer remain. The Master says to Sri Mani Mallick, Tell us that saying of Tulsidas.
  3416. 44Mani Mallick: The chataka bird's breast is bursting with thirst; there are the Ganges, the Jamuna, the Sarayu and so many rivers and lakes, but it wil…
  3417. 45Sri Ramakrishna: That is, devotion to His lotus feet is the one thing; all else is false.
  3418. 46The Problem of the Untouchables: Castes Held Untouchable Are Made Pure by the Name of Hari
  3419. 47Mani Mallick: Another saying of Tulsidas: if the touchstone touches any of the eight metals, it turns to gold. In the same way all castes, even the co…
  3420. 48Sri Ramakrishna: The very hide that may not be touched can be taken into the shrine once it has been tanned.
  3421. 49"Man becomes pure through the name of God. So one must practise singing the name. I said to Jadu Mallick's mother, When death comes, it is those same…
  3422. 50"It is good to be ready for the hour of death. In old age one should go into solitude and simply think of God and take His name. If the elephant goes…
  3423. 51Balaram's father, Mani Mallick and Beni Pal are all advanced in years. Is that why the Master gives all this teaching, especially for their good?
  3424. 52Sri Ramakrishna turns to the devotees again and speaks.
  3425. 53Sri Ramakrishna: Why do I tell you to think of Him and take His name in solitude? If you stay in the world day and night, there is no peace. Don't you…
  3426. 54Ramachandra, the World and the Yoga Vasishtha: 'A House of Mirth'
  3427. 55"You live in the world; what is there to fear? When Rama spoke of giving up the world, Dasaratha was troubled and went to Vasishtha for refuge. Vasish…
  3428. 56Balaram's father: It is very hard.
  3429. 57Sri Ramakrishna: In the time of spiritual practice this world is a 'frame of illusion'; but after knowledge is gained, after He has been seen, this sa…
  3430. 58God Seen in the Incarnation: Chaitanyadeva an Incarnation
  3431. 59"In the Vaishnava books it says: by faith you reach Krishna; by argument He is far, far away.
  3432. 60"Faith alone.
  3433. 61"What faith Krishnakishore had! At Vrindavan a man of low caste drew water for him from a well, and he told him, Say Siva. As soon as the man had take…
  3434. 62"People giving tulsi for illness and the like: Krishnakishore was astonished to see it!
  3435. 63"When there was talk of going to see a holy man, Haladhari said, 'Why go to see him? A case of the five elements!' Krishnakishore was angry and said,…
  3436. 64"At the bathing ghat of the Kali temple he said to us, All of you, say it: may my days pass in saying Rama! Rama!
  3437. 65"Whenever I went to Krishnakishore's house, he would dance at the sight of me.
  3438. 66"Ramachandra said to Lakshmana, Brother, wherever you see ardent, overflowing devotion, know that I am there.
  3439. 67"Like Chaitanyadeva. In his love he laughs, weeps, dances and sings. Chaitanyadeva is an Incarnation: God come down."
  3440. 68Sri Ramakrishna sings:
  3441. 69Of course bhava will come to Sri Gauranga, the treasure-house of bhava! In bhava he laughs, weeps, dances and sings! Sobbing and sobbing he weeps.
  3442. 70Chapter Three
  3443. 71Balaram's father, Mani Mallick, Beni Pal and the others are taking their leave. After dusk the devotees of the Harisabha of Kansaritola arrive.
  3444. 72With them Sri Ramakrishna dances like a maddened elephant.
  3445. 73After the dance he is in bhava. He says, I shall go a little of the way by myself.
  3446. 74While he is in bhava, Kishori goes to massage his feet. Sri Ramakrishna did not let anyone touch him.
  3447. 75After dusk Ishan comes. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in bhava. After a while he talks with Ishan. Ishan wishes to perform the purascharana of the Gayatr…
  3448. 76Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: Do whatever is in your heart. Your mind holds no more doubt, does it?
  3449. 77In the Kaliyuga Not the Path of the Nigama but the Path of the Agama
  3450. 78Ishan: I had made a kind of vow, like an atonement.
  3451. 79Sri Ramakrishna: Can't that be done on this path, the path of the Agama? He who is Brahman is Himself Sakti, Kali. I have known Kali as Brahman and gr…
  3452. 80Ishan: It says in the hymn of the Chandi that Brahman Itself is the Primal Sakti. Brahman and Sakti are not different.
  3453. 81Sri Ramakrishna: Saying it with the lips is not enough; it will be right when you have truly grasped it.
  3454. 82"After spiritual practice, when the mind is purified, you will truly feel that He alone is the doer; it is He who is mind, life and understanding. We…
  3455. 83"When the mind is purified you will feel that it is He who has the purascharana and all such works done. 'His is the work, He does it; people say, "I…
  3456. 84"When He is seen, every doubt is cleared away. Then the favourable wind blows. When the favourable wind blows, the boatman raises the sail, sits holdi…
  3457. 85When Ishan has gone, Sri Ramakrishna talks with M. alone. He asks him, Narendra, Rakhal, Adhar, Hazra: how do they seem to you, are they guileless or…
  3458. 86Sri Ramakrishna laughs.
  3459. 1Part One, Section Eight
  3460. 2Sri Ramakrishna's Visit to the Sinduriapati Brahmo Samaj and His Conversation with Sri Vijaykrishna Goswami and Others
  3461. 3Chapter One
  3462. 4It was the eleventh day of the dark fortnight of the month of Kartik, the twenty-sixth of November, 1883. The Sinduriapati Brahmo Samaj held its meeti…
  3463. 5The hall of worship was full of joy that day, adorned without and within with green leaves of trees, with flowers of many kinds and with garlands. The…
  3464. 6Shivanath and Truthfulness. The Master in "The Temple of Samadhi"
  3465. 7Before the worship Sri Ramakrishna, his face smiling, was talking with Sri Vijaykrishna Goswami and other Brahmo devotees. The lamps were lit in the h…
  3466. 8The Paramahamsa asked, Well, won't Shivanath come?" A Brahmo devotee said, "No, he has a great deal of work today; he won't be able to come." The Para…
  3467. 9The worship began according to the order of the Brahmo Samaj. The acharya was on the dais, with a lamp-stand before him. After the opening invocation…
  3468. 10The Paramahamsa was immersed in bhava. Motionless, his gaze fixed, speechless, he sat like a figure in a picture. The bird of the soul was roaming som…
  3469. 11The moment the samadhi passed, the Paramahamsa opened his eyes and looked around. He saw that everyone in the gathering had their eyes closed. Then, s…
  3470. 12When the kirtan ended, all took their seats. They sat round the Master to hear what he would say.
  3471. 13Chapter Two
  3472. 14Teaching for the Householder
  3473. 15Addressing the assembled Brahmo devotees, he said: "It is hard to lead the worldly life unattached. Pratap had said, Sir, we are like King Janaka; Jan…
  3474. 16"Then is there no way for the worldly man? Yes, there certainly is. For some days one has to practise discipline in solitude. Then devotion comes, kno…
  3475. 17"If you ask, How many days shall I leave the world and stay in solitude? Well, if you stay like this even one day, that too is good; three days is bet…
  3476. 18"If you rub oil on your hands before you break open a jackfruit, the sticky juice does not cling to your hands. When you play hide-and-seek, there is…
  3477. 19"The mind is like milk. Keep that mind in the water of the world, and milk and water will mix. So one must set the milk to curd in a quiet place and c…
  3478. 20Chapter Three
  3479. 21Sri Vijay Goswami's Discipline in Solitude
  3480. 22Sri Vijay had just come back from Gaya. There he had lived many days in solitude and in holy company. He now wore the ochre cloth. His state was very…
  3481. 23As he looked at Vijay, the Paramahamsa said to him, "Vijay! Have you found your lodging?"
  3482. 24"Look, two sadhus, wandering about, came to a town. One of them was gaping at the bazaar, the shops and the houses of the town, when he met the other.…
  3483. 25Vijay and Shivanath. Work without Desire. The Sannyasi's Renunciation of Desire
  3484. 26Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay: You see, Shivanath has a great many worries. He has to write for the newspapers and do a great deal of other work. The mome…
  3485. 27"It is told in the Srimad Bhagavata that, of his twenty-four gurus, the Avadhuta made the kite one. In one place some fishermen were fishing; a kite s…
  3486. 28"From the kite the Avadhuta learnt this: as long as one has the fish with one, that is, as long as there is desire, there is work, and because of work…
  3487. 29"Desireless work, though, is good. There is no unrest in it. But it is very hard to work without desire. I think, I am working without desire, but des…
  3488. 30The Sannyasi Will Not Lay Up. When Love Comes, Work Falls Away
  3489. 31Sri Ramakrishna: The Avadhuta had another guru, the honeybee. The bee gathers honey with great toil over many days. But that honey is not for its own…
  3490. 32"This is not for the worldly man. The worldly man has to maintain his family. So he needs to lay things up. Panchhi (the bird) aur darvesh (the sadhu)…
  3491. 33"Look, Vijay, if a sadhu carries bundles and parcels about with him, if he has a cloth bundle tied in fifteen knots, do not trust such people. I had s…
  3492. 34Vijay: "Yes, sir. I have seen sadhus like that at Gaya. The lota-carrying sadhus of Gaya." Everyone laughed.
  3493. 35Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay: When love for God comes, work falls away of its own accord. Let those whom God is making work do their work. Your time has…
  3494. 36Saying this, Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna sang, pouring sweetness from that matchless voice:
  3495. 37Keep the darling Mother Syama in your heart with care. O mind, you look and I shall look, and let no one else look. Give lust and the rest the slip; c…
  3496. 38Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay: Now that you have taken refuge in God, give up shame, fear and all such things. 'If I dance to the name of Hari, what will…
  3497. 39Shame, Hatred, Fear
  3498. 40"Shame, hatred, fear: not while these three remain." Shame, hatred, fear, pride of caste, secret desire, all these are bonds. When all these go, the j…
  3499. 41"Bound by the noose, one is jiva; freed from the noose, one is Siva. The prema of God is a rare thing. First, if one has single-minded faith in God, s…
  3500. 42"Then comes bhava. In bhava a man becomes speechless. The breath becomes still. Kumbhaka happens of its own accord. It is as when a man fires a gun: a…
  3501. 43"To have prema is a far-off thing. Chaitanyadeva had prema. When one has prema for God, outer things are forgotten. The world is forgotten. Even one's…
  3502. 44Saying this, the Paramahamsa sang again:
  3503. 45When will that day come? When, saying Hari, the tears will stream down (when will that day come?). When worldly desire will go (when will that day com…
  3504. 46Chapter Four
  3505. 47Bhava and Kumbhaka. When the Great Breath Rises, God Is Seen
  3506. 48While this talk was going on, a few more invited Brahmo devotees arrived. Among them were some pandits and high-ranking government officials. One of t…
  3507. 49When bhava comes the breath becomes still, the Master was saying. And he went on: when Arjuna shot at the target, his gaze was on the eye of the fish…
  3508. 50"One sign of the vision of God: the great breath rises from within with a rumbling and goes toward the head! Then, if there is samadhi, God is seen.
  3509. 51Mere Learning Is Vain. Wealth, Riches, Honour, Position, All Vain
  3510. 52Sri Ramakrishna, looking at the newly arrived Brahmo devotees: Those who are only learned but have no devotion to God, their talk is muddled. A pandit…
  3511. 53"Someone had said, 'At my uncle's house there is a cowshed full of horses'! From this you must understand that there are no horses there at all, becau…
  3512. 54"Some take pride in wealth: in riches, honour, position, all these. All this is for two days; nothing will go with you. There is a song:
  3513. 55Think it over, O mind: no one is anyone's; vain is your wandering over the earth. Bound in the net of maya, do not forget Dakshina Kali. The one you w…
  3514. 56The Great Medicine for Pride. There Is One Greater Still
  3515. 57"And one must not be proud of money. If you say, I am rich, then again, beyond the rich there is one richer, and one richer than him. When the firefly…
  3516. 58"If the rich think on these things, they will not be proud of their wealth."
  3517. 59For the festival Manilal had provided many choice things to eat. With great care he fed Sri Ramakrishna and the assembled devotees to their full conte…
  3518. 1Section Ten
  3519. 2Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Keshab Chandra Sen at the Kamalkutir
  3520. 3Chapter One
  3521. 4Before Keshab's House: Watching Thy Path
  3522. 5Keshab, Prasanna, Amrita, Umanath, Keshab's mother, Rakhal, M.
  3523. 6Kartik, the fourteenth of the waning moon; Wednesday, the twenty-eighth of November, 1883. Today a devotee is pacing up and down the footpath on the e…
  3524. 7Lily Cottage.
  3525. 8To the north of the Kamalkutir is the Mangalbari, where many of the Brahmo devotees live. Keshab lives in the Kamalkutir. His illness has grown worse.…
  3526. 9Sri Ramakrishna loves Keshab dearly! Today he is to come and see him. He is coming from the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. So the devotee is watching fo…
  3527. 10The Kamalkutir stands on the west side of Circular Road. That is why the devotee was walking about on the road itself. He has been waiting since two o…
  3528. 11On the east side of the road is the Victoria College. Many of the Brahmo ladies of Keshab's Samaj and their daughters study here. From the road a good…
  3529. 12Someone has left this mortal world and gone away; hence the preparations!
  3530. 13The devotee is thinking: Where? Leaving the body, where does one go?
  3531. 14So many carriages are coming from the north towards the south. From time to time the devotee looks closely to see whether he is coming or not.
  3532. 15It struck about five o'clock. The Master's carriage arrived, and with him Latu and one or two other devotees. And M. and Rakhal have come.
  3533. 16The people of Keshab's household took the Master upstairs with them. A wooden cot had been spread on the verandah to the south of the drawing-room. Th…
  3534. 17Chapter Two
  3535. 18Sri Ramakrishna in Samadhi: Possessed by God, He Talks with the Mother
  3536. 19The Master has been sitting a long while. He has grown impatient to see Keshab. Keshab's disciples are saying humbly that he is resting a little just…
  3537. 20Keshab's illness is critical. That is why the disciples and the people of the house are so careful. But the Master is growing more and more eager to s…
  3538. 21Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab's disciples: Look here! What need has he to come? Why don't I go inside myself?
  3539. 22Prasanna, humbly: Sir, he is coming in a little while.
  3540. 23The Master: Go on; it is you people who are behaving like this! I shall go inside myself!
  3541. 24Prasanna is diverting the Master by talking about Keshab!
  3542. 25Prasanna: His state has turned into another kind. He talks with the Mother just as you do. Hearing what the Mother says, he laughs and weeps.
  3543. 26The moment he hears these words, that Keshab talks with the Mother of the universe and laughs and weeps, the Master is overcome with bhava. In a momen…
  3544. 27The Master is in samadhi! It is winter; on his body a warm coat of green broadcloth, and over the coat a broadcloth wrap. His body erect; his gaze fix…
  3545. 28Evening has come! The Master has come back a little to himself. The lamps have been lit in the drawing-room next door. They are trying to seat the Mas…
  3546. 29With great difficulty he was taken into the drawing-room.
  3547. 30In the room many pieces of furniture: couches, chairs, a clothes-rack, gas lamps. The Master was seated on a couch.
  3548. 31As soon as he sat on the couch, he was again unconscious of the outer world, filled with bhava.
  3549. 32Casting his eyes over the couch, he is saying something, as though in a daze of intoxication. "All this was needed before. What need is there of it no…
  3550. 33Looking at Rakhal: "Rakhal, have you come?
  3551. 34The Vision of the Mother of the Universe and Talk with Her: Immortality of the Soul
  3552. 35As he speaks, the Master is again seeing something. He says:
  3553. 36"Why, here You are, Mother! And dressed in a Benares sari, what a show You are making. Mother, don't make a fuss! Sit down, do sit down!"
  3554. 37The Master's intoxication of mahabhava went on. The room is full of light. The Brahmo devotees are all around. Latu, Rakhal, M. and others are seated…
  3555. 38"The body and the Atman. The body has come into being, and it will go again! The Atman has no dying. As with the betel-nut: the ripe betel-nut keeps a…
  3556. 39Keshab Comes In
  3557. 40Keshab is coming into the room. He is coming in by the door on the east. Those who had seen him in the Brahmo Samaj temple or at the Town Hall stood a…
  3558. 41Meanwhile the Master has come down from the couch and is sitting on the floor. Keshab, having had the sight of the Master, is bowing down to him, pros…
  3559. 42Chapter Three
  3560. 43Brahman and Sakti Are One: the Play of God as Man
  3561. 44Now Keshab is saying in a loud voice, 'I have come', 'I have come'! Saying this he took Sri Ramakrishna's left hand and began to stroke it with his ow…
  3562. 45Sri Ramakrishna: "As long as there are upadhis, so long there is the sense of many: Keshab, Prasanna, Amrita, and the rest. When Perfect Knowledge com…
  3563. 46"Again, in Perfect Knowledge one sees that the one Consciousness has become this world of living beings, these twenty-four tattvas.
  3564. 47"But there is a distinction of power. It is true that He alone has become everything, but in one place there is a greater manifestation of power, in a…
  3565. 48"Vidyasagar had said, 'Well, has God given more power to one and less power to another?' I said, 'Were that not so, how does one man beat fifty men, a…
  3566. 49"In the vessel through which He shows His lila, there is a special power.
  3567. 50"The landlord is everywhere. But it is in such-and-such a drawing-room that he mostly sits. The devotee is His drawing-room. He loves to play in the d…
  3568. 51"What is the sign of it? Where the work is greater, there is a manifestation of special power.
  3569. 52"This Primal Sakti and the Supreme Brahman are not different. There is no thinking of the one apart from the other. As with the light and the gem! The…
  3570. 53The Brahmo Samaj and Seeing God in Man: the Difference between the Perfect and the Striver
  3571. 54"It is the Primal Sakti who has become this world of living beings, these twenty-four tattvas. Anuloma and viloma. Why am I so anxious for Rakhal, Nar…
  3572. 55"Then I grew very worried. I said, Mother, what is this that has happened. Hazra says, Why do you think about them? Then I asked Bholanath. Bholanath…
  3573. 56The Bharata, that is, the Mahabharata. Sri Bholanath was then the clerk of the Kali temple. He had reverence for the Master and would go to him now an…
  3574. 57"Hazra is not at fault. In the striver's state one must give the whole mind to Him, saying 'Not this', 'Not this'. In the state of the perfected it is…
  3575. 58"When the sea of bhava swells, there is a bamboo's depth of water on the dry land. Before, to reach the sea by the river, one had to come winding and…
  3576. 59"After attaining, one sees Him in everything. In man there is more of His manifestation. Among men, still more in the devotee of sattva, in those who…
  3577. 60The Brahmo Samaj and God as Mother: the Mother of the Universe
  3578. 61"He who is Brahman is Himself the Primal Sakti. When He is inactive, we call Him Brahman; we call Him Purusha. When He does all this, creation, preser…
  3579. 62"He who has the idea of male has the idea of female too. He who has the idea of father has the idea of mother too." Keshab laughed.
  3580. 63"He who has the idea of darkness has the idea of light too. He who has the idea of night has the idea of day too. He who has the idea of joy has the i…
  3581. 64Keshab, smiling: Yes, I have understood.
  3582. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Mother—what Mother? The Mother of the universe. She who has created the universe and is sustaining it. She who is always protecting H…
  3583. 66Keshab: Yes, sir.
  3584. 67Chapter Four
  3585. 68From the Past: the Brahmo Samaj and the Telling of God's Glories
  3586. 69While talking, Sri Ramakrishna has come back to himself. He is talking with Keshab, smiling. A roomful of people, all ears, are listening to everythin…
  3587. 70Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab: "Why do the Brahmajnanis describe His glory so much? 'O God, You have made the moon, You have made the sun, You have made…
  3588. 71"If it is drinking wine, what need have I to reckon the maunds of wine in the tavern? My one bottle alone does the work.
  3589. 72"When I see Narendra, I have never asked him, 'What is your father's name?' 'How many houses has your father?'
  3590. 73From the Past: the Theft of the Jewels in the Vishnu Temple, and Sejo Babu
  3591. 74"Do you know how it is? Because man himself makes much of riches, he thinks that God too makes much of riches. He thinks that if he praises His riches…
  3592. 75"When the jewels of the Vishnu temple were stolen, Sejo Babu and I went to see the deity. Sejo Babu said, 'Fie on You, Lord! You have no ability at al…
  3593. 76"Is God under the sway of riches? He is under the sway of devotion. What does He want? Not money. Bhava, love, devotion, discrimination, renunciation:…
  3594. 77The Nature of God and the Kinds of Worshipper: the Devotee beyond the Three Gunas
  3595. 78"As a man's bhava is, so he sees God. The devotee of tamas: he sees that the Mother eats goat, and he offers sacrifice. The devotee of rajas cooks ric…
  3596. 79"And there is the devotee beyond the three gunas. His nature is a child's. To take the name of God is itself his worship. Simply His name."
  3597. 80Chapter Five
  3598. 81Talk with Keshab: the Soul's Treatment in God's Hospital
  3599. 82Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab, smiling: "There is a meaning in your having fallen ill. Many bhavas have passed through your body; that is why it has come…
  3600. 83"When an elephant gets into a thatched hut, it churns the hut about and smashes it to pieces. The elephant of bhava gets into the house of the body; a…
  3601. 84"Do you know what happens? When a fire breaks out, it burns up a number of things and so forth, and starts a great hue and cry. The fire of knowledge…
  3602. 85"You are thinking it is all over! But so long as anything of the disease is left, He will not let you go. If you get your name entered in the hospital…
  3603. 86Hearing of the hospital, Keshab laughs again and again. He cannot hold back his laughter. He holds it back, holds it back, and laughs again. The Maste…
  3604. 87From the Past: the Master's Illness, and Ram Kaviraj's Treatment
  3605. 88Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab: "Hridu used to say, I have never seen such bhava, and I have never seen such illness. I was very ill then. I was passing s…
  3606. 89To Keshab: "His will. All is Thy will.
  3607. 90"All is Thy will; Thou art Tara, the Mistress of will. Thine own work Thou doest, Mother; men say, I do it.
  3608. 91"So that it may get the dew, the gardener lifts the Basra rose out, roots and all. When it gets the dew the plant will shoot up well. That, I suppose,…
  3609. 92The Master Weeps for Keshab, and Vows Green Coconut and Sugar to Siddheswari
  3610. 93"When you fall ill, my heart grows very restless. The last time, when you were ill, I used to weep in the last watch of the night. I would say, Mother…
  3611. 94Everyone is listening in amazement to this talk of the Master's unfeigned love for Keshab and his yearning for him.
  3612. 95Sri Ramakrishna: "This time, though, it has not been so much. I shall tell you the truth.
  3613. 96"But for two or three days it was there a little."
  3614. 97At the door on the east, the door by which Keshab had come into the drawing-room, Keshab's revered mother has come.
  3615. 98From that doorway Umanath says to Sri Ramakrishna in a loud voice, 'Mother is bowing to you.'
  3616. 99The Master began to laugh. Umanath says—'Mother says, so that Keshab's illness may be cured.' The Master says, "Call on Mother Subachani, Anandamayi;…
  3617. 100He says to Keshab:
  3618. 101"Don't stay so much in the inner apartments. Among the women you will sink all the more; with talk of God you will be all the better."
  3619. 102Having spoken these words gravely, he laughs again like a boy. He says to Keshab, "Let me see, let me see your hand." Like a child he takes the hand a…
  3620. 103From the doorway Umanath says again—"Mother says, please bless Keshab."
  3621. 104Sri Ramakrishna, in a grave voice: "What power have I! He will bless. 'Thine own work Thou doest, Mother; men say, I do it.'
  3622. 105"God laughs twice. Once He laughs when two brothers divide up land; and measuring with a rope they say, 'This side is mine, that side is yours'! God l…
  3623. 106"God laughs once more. A son's illness is grave. The mother is weeping. The physician comes and says, 'What is there to fear, mother? I shall make him…
  3624. 107Just at this moment Keshab began to cough, and coughed for a long time. The cough will not stop. Hearing the sound of it, everyone is pained. After a…
  3625. 108Chapter Six
  3626. 109The Brahmo Samaj and the Gods Named in the Vedas: Playing the Guru Is a Mean Idea
  3627. 110Amrita: Keshab's Eldest Son: Dayananda Saraswati
  3628. 111Sri Ramakrishna is to take a little sweet before he goes. Keshab's eldest son has come and sat near him.
  3629. 112Amrita said, This is the eldest son. Please bless him. What's this! Bless him with your hand on his head!
  3630. 113Sri Ramakrishna said, "It is not for me to give blessings."
  3631. 114Saying this, he began, smiling, to stroke the boy's body.
  3632. 115Amrita, smiling: "Very well, then stroke his body." Everyone laughed.
  3633. 116The Master is talking about Keshab with Amrita and the other Brahmo devotees.
  3634. 117Sri Ramakrishna, to Amrita and the others: "'May the illness get well': I cannot say such things. I do not even ask the Mother for that power. I say t…
  3635. 118"Is he a small man, eh? Those who want money honour him, and the sadhus too honour him. I had seen Dayananda. He was in a garden then. Keshab Sen, Kes…
  3636. 119"Dayananda used to call the Bengali language 'the Gaudanda language'.
  3637. 120"He, I suppose, did not accept the homa and the gods. So he said, God has made so many things, and can He not make gods?"
  3638. 121The Master is praising Keshab to Keshab's disciples.
  3639. 122Sri Ramakrishna: "Keshab is not small-minded. He has told many people, 'Whatever doubts you have, go there and ask.' That is my nature too; I say, may…
  3640. 123"He is a great man. Those who want money honour him, and the sadhus too honour him."
  3641. 124Having taken a little sweet, the Master is now about to get into the carriage. The Brahmo devotees come with him and help him in.
  3642. 125Coming down the stairs, the Master saw that there was no light below. Then he said to Amrita and the other devotees, In places like this one must give…
  3643. 126With one or two devotees the Master set out that night for the Kali temple.
  3644. 1Part One, Section Nine
  3645. 2The Blessed Visit to the House of Sri Jaygopal Sen
  3646. 3Chapter One
  3647. 4The twenty-eighth of November, 1883, by the English calendar. Today, at four or five in the afternoon, Sri Ramakrishna had gone to Sri Keshab Chandra…
  3648. 5The devotees are thinking of so many things. We see the Master, day and night overwhelmed with love of Hari. He has married, but he has not lived a ho…
  3649. 6The devotees are thinking of so many things. Must the world be given up? What need is there to go on with our studies any longer? If I do not marry, I…
  3650. 7"He has shown it by doing it himself. Then is there still a doubt?
  3651. 8'Breaking the dam of sand, I fulfil my heart's desire!' Is it really a 'dam of sand'? If love for Him of that kind should come, there will be no more…
  3652. 9"Well then, those who are weak, in whom that love does not dawn, who are worldly beings, with the fetters of maya on their feet, what is their way? Le…
  3653. 10The Householder's Life and Sri Ramakrishna
  3654. 11Vaikuntha: We are worldly people; please tell us something.
  3655. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Knowing Him, keep one hand at the lotus feet of God and with the other do the work of the world.
  3656. 13Vaikuntha: Sir, is the world unreal?
  3657. 14Sri Ramakrishna: As long as He is not known, so long it is unreal. Then a man forgets Him and cries 'mine, mine'; bound by maya, enchanted by woman an…
  3658. 15Such is the spell of Mahamaya's maya, what a magic it has worked! Brahma and Vishnu lose their senses; how can a jiva know it? The fish-trap is set in…
  3659. 16"You see for yourselves that the world is transitory. Just look at it, won't you? How many people have come and gone. How many were born, how many lef…
  3660. 17Neighbour: Sir, why should I keep one hand on God and the other on the world? If the world is transitory, why should I give even one hand to it?
  3661. 18Sri Ramakrishna: If you live in the world knowing Him, it is not transitory. Listen to a song:
  3662. 19Song. O mind, you know nothing of farming. Such a field, this human life, lies fallow; had you tilled it, it would have yielded gold. Fence it with Ka…
  3663. 20Chapter Two
  3664. 21God-Realization in the Householder's Life; the Way
  3665. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Did you hear the song? 'Fence it with Kali's name, and the crop will come to no harm.' Take refuge in God and you will have everythin…
  3666. 23Neighbour: Sir, one does not see such husbands and wives!
  3667. 24Sri Ramakrishna: There are such; but very rare. Worldly people cannot recognize them. But for a life like that, both must be good. If both have tasted…
  3668. 25A devotee: These obstacles are there; and then the children may be disobedient. After that there are so many troubles. Then, sir, what is the way?
  3669. 26The Way
  3670. 27Sri Ramakrishna: It is very hard to practise spiritual discipline living in the world. There are many hindrances; I need not tell you of them: disease…
  3671. 28Neighbour: Must one go away from home?
  3672. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Not for good. Whenever you have leisure, go to some solitary place and stay there a day or two, so that there is no tie with anything…
  3673. 30Neighbour: How shall I know a holy man?
  3674. 31Sri Ramakrishna: He whose mind, life and inmost soul have gone to God, he alone is a holy man. He who has given up woman and gold, he alone is a holy…
  3675. 32Neighbour: Must one live in solitude always?
  3676. 33Sri Ramakrishna: Do you see the trees along the footpath? As long as they are saplings, a fence must be put round them. Otherwise goats and cattle wil…
  3677. 34Neighbour: What is called discrimination?
  3678. 35Sri Ramakrishna: God is real and all else is unreal: this reasoning. Real means eternal. Unreal, transitory. He who has gained discrimination knows Go…
  3679. 36Come, O mind, go out for a walk. At the foot of Kali, the Wishing Tree, O mind, you will gather the four fruits. Of your two wives, Pravritti and Nivr…
  3680. 37Sri Ramakrishna: When nivritti comes into the mind, then discrimination comes; when there is discrimination, then thoughts of Truth rise in the mind.…
  3681. 38Neighbour: Then why do they call the world maya?
  3682. 39Qualified Non-Dualism and Sri Ramakrishna
  3683. 40Sri Ramakrishna: As long as God is not attained, one must renounce, saying 'Neti, neti'. Those who have attained Him know that He alone has become eve…
  3684. 41"Anuloma and viloma. The butter is of the buttermilk, and the buttermilk of the butter. If there is buttermilk, then there is butter too. If there is…
  3685. 42"He whose is the Eternal, His too is the Lila (phenomenal world); He whose is the Lila, His too is the Eternal (Absolute). He who is apprehended as Go…
  3686. 43The Sense of Sin. Sense of sin and responsibility.
  3687. 44Neighbour: Then is there no sin and no virtue?
  3688. 45Sri Ramakrishna: There is, and again there is not. If He keeps the principle of I (Ego), then He keeps the sense of difference too, and keeps the sens…
  3689. 46Neighbour: Sir, you say: know God and then live in the world. Can He be known?
  3690. 47The 'Unknown and Unknowable'
  3691. 48Sri Ramakrishna: He cannot be known through the senses or through this mind. He is known through the pure mind, the mind that has no desire for worldl…
  3692. 49Neighbour: Who can know God?
  3693. 50Sri Ramakrishna: Who will know Him exactly? As much as we need, that much is enough. What do I want with a whole well of water? One jug is plenty. An…
  3694. 51Neighbour: With the fever we have, how is one jug of water enough? I want to understand God completely.
  3695. 52The Disease of Worldly Fever, and the Medicine. The Medicine: 'Take refuge in Me alone'
  3696. 53Sri Ramakrishna: That is true. But there is a medicine for the fever too.
  3697. 54Neighbour: Sir, what medicine?
  3698. 55Sri Ramakrishna: The company of holy men, singing His name and glories, praying to Him always. I had said, Mother, I do not want knowledge, here, take…
  3699. 56"As the disease, so the medicine. In the Gita He has said: O Arjuna, take shelter in Me; from every kind of sin I will set you free. Take refuge in Hi…
  3700. 1Section Eleven
  3701. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar
  3702. 3Chapter One
  3703. 4Bhaktiyoga, the Truth of Samadhi, and the States of Mahaprabhu
  3704. 5It is Sunday, the ninth of December 1883, the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Agrahayana; it must be about one or two o'clock. Sri Ramakrishna is…
  3705. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Chaitanyadeva used to pass into three states:
  3706. 7First, the outward state: then his mind would dwell on the gross and the subtle.
  3707. 8Second, the half-outward state: then the mind has gone into the causal body, into the bliss of the cause.
  3708. 9Third, the inmost state: then the mind would merge in the Great Cause.
  3709. 10"This agrees closely with the five sheaths of Vedanta. The gross body means the sheaths of food and of the vital breath. The subtle body means the she…
  3710. 11When Chaitanyadeva was in the outward state he would chant the Name in sankirtan. In the half-outward state he would dance with the devotees. In the i…
  3711. 12M., to himself: Is the Master hinting in this way at all his own states? Chaitanyadeva too used to have them like this!
  3712. 13Sri Ramakrishna: Chaitanya was the Incarnation of bhakti; He came to teach bhakti to living beings. Once there is bhakti for Him, everything is there.…
  3713. 14Hathayoga and Rajayoga
  3714. 15A devotee: Sir, what is hathayoga like?
  3715. 16Sri Ramakrishna: "In hathayoga you have to give a great deal of attention to the body. To wash out the inside, they keep a bamboo tube in the anus. Th…
  3716. 17"The Vedantists do not accept hathayoga.
  3717. 18"There is hathayoga and there is rajayoga. In rajayoga union comes through the mind: through bhakti, through discrimination, union comes. It is that y…
  3718. 19Chapter Two
  3719. 20The Master's Austerities: The Master's Own People, and the Great Place of Pilgrimage to Come
  3720. 21Sri Ramakrishna is standing on the path beside the nahabat. He sees Mani sitting at one end of the nahabat's verandah, behind the fence, deep in thoug…
  3721. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Well now, sitting here! It will come to you soon. Do just a little and someone will tell you, Here it is, here it is!
  3722. 23Startled, he is looking at the Master. He has not yet left his seat.
  3723. 24Sri Ramakrishna: Your time has come. Unless the time for hatching has come, the bird does not hatch the egg. The order I told you of is truly your ord…
  3724. 25Saying this, the Master told Mani his "order" again.
  3725. 26"Not everyone has to practise great austerity. But I had to go through great hardship. I used to lie with a mound of earth under my head. The days sli…
  3726. 27Mani has been coming to the Master for about two years. He has studied English. The Master would sometimes call him an Englishman. He has had a colleg…
  3727. 28He loves to hear lectures by Keshab and other learned men, and to read English philosophy and science. But since he began coming to the Master, the bo…
  3728. 29These days he is always thinking on one saying of the Master's. The Master has said, "Through spiritual practice God can be seen," and he has also sai…
  3729. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Do just a little and someone will tell you, Here it is, here it is. Keep the ekadasi. You are my own people, my kin. Otherwise why wo…
  3730. 31Of Earlier Days: Gauranga's Companions, the Tulsi Grove, and Sejo Babu's Service
  3731. 32"I saw Gauranga's companions. Not in bhava: with these very eyes! Before, I was in such a state that I had every vision with the naked eye! Now it com…
  3732. 33"With the naked eye I saw all of Gauranga's companions. Among them I seemed to see you too. I seemed to see Balaram too.
  3733. 34"Do you know why I spring up with a start when I see someone? That is how it is when you see your own people after a long time.
  3734. 35"Weeping and weeping I would say to the Mother, Mother! I am dying for the devotees; bring them to me soon. Whatever I set my mind on would come to pa…
  3735. 36"I made a tulsi grove in the Panchavati, so that I could do japa and meditation. A great longing came to put up a fence of split bamboo. Right after t…
  3736. 37"When this state came on, I could not do the worship any more. I said, Mother, who will look after me? Mother! I have not the strength to bear my own…
  3737. 38"And again I said, Mother, I shall never have children of my own; but I long for one boy, a pure devotee, to be always with me. Give me a boy like tha…
  3738. 39The Master is going again towards the Panchavati. M. is with him; there is no one else. Smiling, the Master is talking with him of many things.
  3739. 40Of Earlier Days: The Wondrous Form, and the Branch of the Banyan
  3740. 41Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Look, one day I see, from the Kali temple right up to the Panchavati, a wondrous form. Do you believe this?
  3741. 42M. remained speechless.
  3742. 43He is putting one or two leaves from a branch of the Panchavati into his pocket.
  3743. 44Sri Ramakrishna: This branch has fallen, you see; I used to sit under it.
  3744. 45M.: I have broken off a tender twig of it and taken it away—I have kept it at home.
  3745. 46Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Why?
  3746. 47M.: It gives me joy to see it. When all is over, this place will be a great place of pilgrimage.
  3747. 48Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What kind of place of pilgrimage? What, like Panihati?
  3748. 49At Panihati the festival of Raghava Pandit is held with great pomp.
  3749. 50Sri Ramakrishna goes to see this festival almost every year, and dances in the sankirtan in the bliss of divine love, as though Sri Gauranga, hearing…
  3750. 51Chapter Three
  3751. 52In Talk of God
  3752. 53Evening has come. Sitting on the small bedstead in his room, Sri Ramakrishna is thinking on the Mother. By and by the arati of the deities has begun i…
  3753. 54A little later the Master asked M. to read aloud to him from the "Bhaktamala." M. is reading:
  3754. 55The Life of Sri Maharaja Sri Jayamal
  3755. 56There was a king named Jay, pure of mind; his love for Sri Krishna was beyond all telling. In keeping the limbs of bhakti his rule was firm, like a li…
  3756. 57At the end of the reading the Master is talking with M.
  3757. 58The Bhaktamala One-Sided: Who Is an Intimate? Janaka and Sukadeva
  3758. 59Sri Ramakrishna: Do you believe all this? That He became a rider and destroyed the army: do you believe all this?
  3759. 60M.: The devotee called on Him with a yearning heart: that state I believe. Whether they really saw the deity as a rider, all that I cannot make out. H…
  3760. 61Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: The book has a good deal about the devotees. But it is one-sided. Those of other views are run down in it.
  3761. 62The next morning the Master is standing on the garden path and talking. Mani says, Then I shall come and live here.
  3762. 63Sri Ramakrishna: Well, you all come so often; what does that mean! People come to see a holy man once at the very most. You come so often: what does i…
  3763. 64Mani is speechless. The Master himself is giving the answer to the question.
  3764. 65Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: You would not come unless you were an intimate. An intimate means kin, one's own people: like father, son, brother, sister.
  3765. 66"I do not tell everything. If I did, why would you come any more?
  3766. 67"Sukadeva went to Janaka for the Knowledge of Brahman. Janaka said, Give the fee first. Sukadeva said, How can there be a fee unless I first receive t…
  3767. 68Chapter Four
  3768. 69In the Heart of the Servant
  3769. 70It is the bright fortnight. The moon has risen. Mani is walking on the garden path of the Kali temple. Along one side of the path are Sri Ramakrishna'…
  3770. 71He is saying something to himself: "Can God truly be seen? Sri Ramakrishna does say so. He said, if one does a little something, someone will come and…
  3771. 72"This world is before me: sun, moon, stars, living beings, the twenty-four principles. How did all this come to be, and who is its maker, and what am…
  3772. 73"Sri Ramakrishna is the best of men. Never till now in this life have I seen so great a soul. He has surely seen God. Otherwise, with whom does he tal…
  3773. 1Section Twelve
  3774. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar with the Devotees
  3775. 3Chapter One
  3776. 4Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Dakshineswar
  3777. 5Mani, Ramlal, Doctor Shyam, the devotees from Kansaripara
  3778. 6The full moon of Agrahayana and the last day of the month: Friday, the fourteenth of December, 1883. It is about nine o'clock. Sri Ramakrishna is stan…
  3779. 7The Master said, "So you have come? Well, today is a good day." He is to stay with the Master for some days; he will practise "sadhana." The Master ha…
  3780. 8The Master has told him: it is not proper for you to eat the food of the guest-house here every day. It is meant for holy men and the poor. You will b…
  3781. 9Where is his cooking to be done? He will take milk; the Master told Ramlal to make the arrangement with the milkman.
  3782. 10Sri Ramlal is reading the Adhyatma Ramayana, and the Master is listening. Mani too sits and listens.
  3783. 11Ramachandra has married Sita and is coming to Ayodhya. On the way there was a meeting with Parasurama. When he heard that Rama had broken the bow of H…
  3784. 12As he listens to Parasurama's hymn, the Master is overcome with ecstasy! Now and then he utters the name "Rama, Rama" in a sweet voice. * * *
  3785. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to Ramlal: Do tell a little of Guhaka the Chandala!
  3786. 14When Ramachandra had gone to the forest "for the sake of his father's word," King Guhaka had been startled. Ramlal is reading from the Bhaktamal:
  3787. 15Tears stream from his eyes, his mind is in turmoil; startled, he stands gazing, no word will come. His eyelids never close; he stood gazing; like a wo…
  3788. 16Then he went slowly up to Rama and said, Come to my house. Ramachandra embraced him, calling him friend. Guha then gives himself up to him:
  3789. 17Guha says, Good, good, you are my friend; to you I have given my body together with my life. You are my all, my life, my wealth and kingdom; you are m…
  3790. 18Hearing that Ramachandra would live fourteen years in the forest and wear matted hair and bark, Guha too lived on wearing matted hair and bark and ate…
  3791. 19The compassionate one, supreme bliss, Ramachandra, ruled by love, tender to his devotees, home of every virtue, seeing his dear one, Guha, king of dev…
  3792. 20Sri Keshab Sen's Gain Unsought—The Means—Intense Dispassion and Renouncing the World
  3793. 21After his meal Sri Ramakrishna is resting a little. M. is sitting near him. Just then Shyam the doctor and a few other people arrived.
  3794. 22Sri Ramakrishna sat up and began to talk.
  3795. 23Sri Ramakrishna: It is not that work has to be done all one's life. When God is attained, work remains no longer. When the fruit comes, the flower fal…
  3796. 24"For the one who has attained, the sandhya and the other rites drop away. The sandhya merges in the Gayatri. Then repeating the Gayatri is enough. And…
  3797. 25A devotee: I see everyone is striving for money. How Keshab Sen gave his daughter in marriage to a raja.
  3798. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Keshab's is a different matter. The one who is a real devotee—God provides him with everything even if he makes no effort. The one wh…
  3799. 27"A true brahmin who has no desire can accept uncooked provisions from the house of a Hadi. 'Gain that comes unsought.' He does not want it, but it com…
  3800. 28A devotee: Sir, how is one to live in the world?
  3801. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Live like the mudfish. If you go apart from the world and now and then think on God in solitude, devotion to Him grows. Then you will…
  3802. 30The Master sees that Mani is sitting and listening to it all with a single mind.
  3803. 31Sri Ramakrishna, looking at Mani: With intense dispassion God is attained. One who has intense dispassion feels that the world is a forest fire! It is…
  3804. 32"All women are forms of Sakti. It is that Primal Sakti Herself who has become woman and taken the form of woman. It is in the Adhyatma: Narada and the…
  3805. 33Renunciation and Prarabdha—The Master Forbids the Vamachara Discipline
  3806. 34To the devotees: "One cannot renounce just by deciding to. There are prarabdha and samskaras as well. A yogi said to a king, Sit by me and think on Go…
  3807. 35"When Natabar Panja was a lad, he used to graze cows in this garden. But he had a great deal of enjoyment in store. So now he has set up a castor-oil…
  3808. 36"One school says sadhana is to be done with women. Once I was taken among the women of the Kartabhajas. They all came and sat near me. When I called t…
  3809. 37"A woman went and sat by Vaishnavcharan. When Vaishnavcharan was asked about it, he said, Hers is the bhava of a little girl!
  3810. 38"In the bhava of a wife one soon falls. The bhava of a mother is the pure bhava."
  3811. 39The devotees from Kansaripara rose to go, and said, We will take our leave, then; we will see Mother Kali and the other deities.
  3812. 40Chapter Two
  3813. 41Sri Ramakrishna and Image Worship—Longing and the Attainment of God
  3814. 42Mani is walking alone in the Panchavati and the other places of the temple garden. The Master has said, 'With a little sadhana one can see God.' Is Ma…
  3815. 43And the talk of intense dispassion. And 'when maya is recognized, it runs away of its own accord?' It is about half past three. Mani is again sitting…
  3816. 44Sri Ramakrishna, to the teacher: What is wrong with worshipping images? The Vedanta says that wherever there is 'existence, radiance and dearness,' it…
  3817. 45"Then again, look: how long do little girls play with dolls? Until they are married, and until they live with their husbands. Once they are married th…
  3818. 46Looking towards Mani, he says:
  3819. 47"When love comes, God is attained. Intense longing is needed. When the longing is intense, the whole mind is absorbed in Him.
  3820. 48A Child's Faith and the Attainment of God—Govinda the Husband—The Boy Jatila
  3821. 49"A man had a daughter. She was widowed when very young. She had never seen her husband's face. She saw other girls' husbands coming. One day she said,…
  3822. 50"A child's faith! The longing a child has to see its mother—that longing. Once this longing comes, the red of dawn has appeared. After that the sun is…
  3823. 51"There is the story of the boy Jatila. He used to go to the village school. He had to go to school by a path through a bit of forest; so he used to be…
  3824. 52"In a brahmin's house a deity was served. One day he had to go elsewhere on some business. As he left he told his little son, Give the deity his offer…
  3825. 53There is still time before dusk. Sri Ramakrishna is standing at the south side of the nahabat, talking with Mani. In front is the Ganges. It is winter…
  3826. 54Sri Ramakrishna: Will you sleep in the room in the Panchavati?
  3827. 55Mani: Won't they give the room upstairs in the nahabat?
  3828. 56The Master will speak to the treasurer about Mani. He will have a room set aside for him to live in. He has taken a liking to the room above the nahab…
  3829. 57Sri Ramakrishna: Why shouldn't they give it? But I speak of the Panchavati room for this reason: so much of Hari's name, so much thinking on God, has…
  3830. 58Chapter Three
  3831. 59'The Goal' (END OF LIFE): Loving God
  3832. 60Incense was burned in Sri Ramakrishna's room. Seated on the small bedstead, the Master is thinking on God. Mani is sitting on the floor. Rakhal, Latu…
  3833. 61The Master is saying to Mani, The whole thing is this—to have devotion to him, to love him. He asked Ramlal to sing. Ramlal sings in a sweet voice. Th…
  3834. 62At the Master's bidding Ramlal first sings of Sri Gauranga's sannyasa:
  3835. 63What did I see, O, in Keshab Bharati's hut, A wondrous light, the form of Sri Gauranga, love streaming from his two eyes in a hundred streams. Gaur, l…
  3836. 64Ramlal next sang, Sachi weeps and says, 'Nimai! How shall I live apart from you'? The Master said, Do sing that song.
  3837. 65(1) I am not loath to grant liberation
  3838. 66(2) The vision of Radha—do all attain it, do all attain the love of Radha. A treasure most hard to win; without worship, without sadhana, can that tre…
  3839. 67(3) What count is the hue of a fresh rain-cloud, beholding Syamchand's beauty.
  3840. 68The Master again says to Ramlal, Sing that song—Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers. The Master too joins in with Ramlal:
  3841. 69Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers, most compassionate, O Lord (that is what I heard, and so I have come, my Lord) I went to the city of Kashi, and Kash…
  3842. 70The Secret Sadhana of Sri Ramakrishna's Devotees
  3843. 71Mani is sitting alone in the room above the nahabat. It is late at night. Today is the full moon of Agrahayana. The sky, the Ganges, the temple garden…
  3844. 72It was nearly three in the morning; he rose. Facing north, he is going towards the Panchavati. Sri Ramakrishna has spoken of the Panchavati. And the n…
  3845. 73All around is silent. At eleven at night the tide has come in. Every now and then the sound of the water can be heard. He is going on towards the Panc…
  3846. 74Today is the full moon. On every side the moonlight bursts through the boughs and branches of the banyan trees.
  3847. 75He went farther on. From a little way off he saw one of the Master's devotees sitting within the Panchavati! It is he who, in solitude, alone, is call…
  3848. 76Mani watches without a sound.
  3849. 1Section Seven
  3850. 2At Dakshineswar: Sri Ramakrishna in the Form of the Guru, with His Intimate Devotees
  3851. 3Chapter One
  3852. 4Hearing the Life of Prahlada, and Absorption in Bhava; Union with Women Condemned
  3853. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the floor of that same room at Dakshineswar, the room we have come to know, listening to the life of Prahlada. It must b…
  3854. 6Today is Saturday, the first day of the dark fortnight of Agrahayana; 15 December 1883. Mani is living at Dakshineswar with the Master, in the shade o…
  3855. 7Listening to the story of Prahlada, the Master is passing into bhava. When Hiranyakasipu was slain, Brahma and the other gods, seeing the fierce form…
  3856. 8After the bhava has subsided, the Master has gone and sat down on the small cot. Mani sat on the floor at his feet. The Master is talking with him. To…
  3857. 9Sri Ramakrishna: They feel no shame. Children have been born, and still they do not loathe intercourse with women.—Behaving like beasts! Spittle, bloo…
  3858. 10The Master's Bliss of Love, and the Worship of Mother Kali
  3859. 11Mani, rebuked, sits silent, his face bowed. Sri Ramakrishna is saying again—If anyone gets a single drop of His love, woman and gold seem utterly wort…
  3860. 12Saying this, the Master, mad with love, began to dance about the room and to sing:
  3861. 13Who is it on the bank of the heavenly river, calling on Hari? It seems Nitai, the giver of love, has come. (Without Nitai, with what will the heart be…
  3862. 14It is nearly ten o'clock. Sri Ramlal has finished the daily worship of Mother Kali in the Kali temple. The Master is going to the Kali temple to see t…
  3863. 15Consort of Siva, Remover of fear: such is Thy name, I have heard. So I have now laid my burden on Thee: save me, save me, or save me not, Mother.
  3864. 16Coming back from the Kali temple, the Master has seated himself on his room's south-east verandah. It must be about ten o'clock. The food offering to…
  3865. 17Seated near the Master, Rakhal is reading Smiles' Self-Help—about Lord Erskine.
  3866. 18Work Without Desire; the Man of Perfect Knowledge Reads No Books
  3867. 19Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What is it saying in there?
  3868. 20M.: The Sahib used to do the work that was his duty without craving its fruit—that is what it says. Work without desire.
  3869. 21Sri Ramakrishna: Then that is fine! But the sign of perfect knowledge—not one book will be kept at hand. Like Sukadeva—it is all on his lips.
  3870. 22"In books—in scriptures—sand and sugar lie mixed together. The holy man takes the sugar alone and gives up the sand. The holy man accepts the essence.…
  3871. 23By naming Sukadeva and the others, is the Master conveying his own state by a hint?
  3872. 24Vaishnavcharan the kirtan singer has come. He sang the kirtan of the Meeting with Subal.
  3873. 25After a while Sri Ramlal brought prasad for the Master on a plate. After the meal—the Master rested a little.
  3874. 26At night Mani lay down to sleep in the nahabat. When Holy Mother used to come to the Dakshineswar temple to serve the Master, it was in this very naha…
  3875. 1Chapter Two
  3876. 2With Sri Rakhal, Latu, the Mukherji of Janai and Other Devotees
  3877. 3Sri Ramakrishna is seated with Mani on the round verandah to the west. In front is the Bhagirathi, flowing south. Close by are karabi, bel, jasmine, r…
  3878. 4Today is Sunday, the second lunar day of the dark half of Agrahayan, the sixteenth of December, 1883. The Master is looking at Mani and singing:
  3879. 5You must save me, Mother Tara; I have taken refuge in You. I have become like a bird in a cage. Countless are my offences; empty of knowledge, I wande…
  3880. 6Thinking on Rama—Yearning like Sita's
  3881. 7"Why? Why should I become like a bird in a cage? Pah! Ptoo!"
  3882. 8As he speaks he passes into bhava: body and mind all still, and tears streaming from his eyes! After some time he says, Mother, make me like Sita—ever…
  3883. 9Was it to teach Mani this, how yearning one must be to attain God, that Sita was kindled in the Master's mind? Sita, whose very life is Rama—mad with…
  3884. 10It is four o'clock. Sri Ramakrishna is seated with the devotees in that same room. A Mukherji Babu of Janai has come; he is a kinsman of Sri Prankrish…
  3885. 11Jogin is a son of the Savarna Chaudhuris of Dakshineswar. These days he comes almost every day in the afternoon to see the Master, and goes away at ni…
  3886. 12Mukherji, after bowing down: It has made me very happy to see you.
  3887. 13Sri Ramakrishna: He is within everyone; the same gold is within all, in some places more manifest. In the world the gold is pressed under much earth.
  3888. 14Mukherji, smiling: Sir, what is the difference between this world and the next?
  3889. 15Sri Ramakrishna: In the time of sadhana one has to renounce, saying 'Neti, neti'. After attaining Him one understands that He alone has become all.
  3890. 16"When dispassion came to Ramachandra, Dasaratha was greatly troubled and went to Vasishthadeva for refuge, so that Rama would not renounce the world.…
  3891. 17"It is like this: from whatever thing the buttermilk comes, from that same thing comes the butter. Then the butter is the buttermilk's, and the butter…
  3892. 18The One Means to the Knowledge of Brahman
  3893. 19"What Brahman is cannot be spoken by the mouth. Every thing has become uchchhishta (that is, has been spoken by the mouth), but what Brahman is—no one…
  3894. 20"With the least trace of worldly-mindedness this Knowledge of Brahman does not come. Woman and gold must not be in the mind at all; then it will come.…
  3895. 21Is the Master saying that if a worldly man or a sannyasi lives with woman and gold, the Knowledge of Brahman does not come?
  3896. 22Fallen from Yoga—the World after the Knowledge of Brahman
  3897. 23Sri Ramakrishna, turning again to Mukherji, says: "You have wealth and riches, and yet you call on God; this is very good. It is in the Gita that thos…
  3898. 24Mukherji, to his friend, smiling: In the home of the pure and the prosperous is born one who has fallen from yoga.
  3899. 25Sri Ramakrishna: If He so wishes He can keep the jnani in the world too. By His will the jiva and the world have come to be. He is full of will—
  3900. 26Mukherji, smiling: Why should He have a will at all? Does He lack anything?
  3901. 27Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And what harm is there in that? Water is water when it is still—and water when it is in waves.
  3902. 28Are the Jiva and the World Unreal?
  3903. 29"A snake is a snake when it lies quiet, wound into a coil—and a snake again when it moves crookedly, twisting and turning.
  3904. 30"When the babu is quiet he is that person—when he is at work he is that same person too.
  3905. 31"How will you leave out the jiva and the world? Then the weight comes short! If you leave out the seeds and the shell of the bel-fruit, you do not get…
  3906. 32"Brahman is unattached. In the air one finds sweet smells and foul, but the air is unattached. Brahman and Sakti are not different. It is through that…
  3907. 33The Way to the Yoga of Samadhi—Weeping: Bhakti Yoga and Dhyana Yoga
  3908. 34Mukherji: Why does one fall from yoga!
  3909. 35Sri Ramakrishna: In the womb I was, in yoga I was; falling to the ground, I ate the earth. O, the midwife has cut the cord; with what shall I cut the…
  3910. 36"It is woman and gold that is maya. When these two have gone from the mind, then there is yoga. The Atman—the Paramatman is the magnet stone, the jiva…
  3911. 37Mukherji: How is it made clean?
  3912. 38Sri Ramakrishna: Weep for Him with yearning—when that water touches the earth it will wash and wash away. When it is quite clean, then the magnet will…
  3913. 39Mukherji: Ah, what words!
  3914. 40Sri Ramakrishna: If one can weep for Him there is vision—there is samadhi. When one is perfected in yoga, that is samadhi. When one weeps, kumbhaka co…
  3915. 41"And then there is meditation. In the sahasrara Siva is present in a special way. Meditation on Him. The body is an earthen dish, the mind and buddhi…
  3916. 42Keep the Company of Holy Men and Give the Power of Attorney (Bakalma)
  3917. 43"But the worldly man needs the company of holy men always. Everyone needs it. The sannyasi needs it too. But the worldly especially: the disease is al…
  3918. 44Mukherji: Yes, sir, the disease is always there.
  3919. 45Sri Ramakrishna: Give Him the power of attorney (bakalma)—let Him do what He will. You simply call on Him like a kitten—with yearning. Wherever its mo…
  3920. 46The Beginner Reads the Scriptures—Vision Only after Sadhana
  3921. 47Mukherji: It is good to read the Gita and the other scriptures.
  3922. 48Sri Ramakrishna: What will come of only reading and hearing? One has heard of milk, another has seen milk, another has drunk it. God can be seen—and o…
  3923. 49"First, the beginner. He reads, he listens. Then the sadhaka—he is calling on Him, meditating and thinking on Him, singing His name and glories. Then…
  3924. 50Mani, Rakhal, Jogin, Latu and other devotees are listening in wonder to all these truths that even the gods find hard to come by.
  3925. 51Now the Mukherjis are about to take their leave. They bowed down and stood up. The Master too rose to his feet, as if to do them honour.
  3926. 52Mukherji, smiling: Rising and sitting, for you of all people.—
  3927. 53Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And what loss is there, then, in rising and sitting? Water is water when it is still—and water when it rocks and sways. A us…
  3928. 54Chapter Three
  3929. 55Sri Ramakrishna's Vision and His Secret Explanation of the Vedanta
  3930. 56Advaitavada and Vishishtadvaitavada—Is the World Unreal?
  3931. 57Identity of the Undifferentiated and Differentiated
  3932. 58The Mukherjis of Janai went away. Mani is thinking: by the Vedanta philosophy 'all is like a dream'. Then the jiva, the world, I, all this—is it unrea…
  3933. 59Mani has looked a little into the Vedanta. He has also read a little of the reasoning of Kant, Hegel and other German scholars, the Vedanta's faint ec…
  3934. 60Revelation; Transcendental Perception: God-vision.
  3935. 61A little later Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Mani alone on the round verandah to the west. In front the Ganges flows southward with a murmuring soun…
  3936. 62Mani: Is the world unreal?
  3937. 63Sri Ramakrishna: Why unreal? All that is talk of reasoning.
  3938. 64"At first, while reasoning 'Neti, neti', one comes to this: He is not the jiva, not the world, not the twenty-four principles—it comes to 'all this is…
  3939. 65"You climbed to the roof holding to the stairs step by step. But as long as there is awareness of the roof, the stairs are there too. He who has the a…
  3940. 66"Then again, having climbed to the roof, you saw that the stairs are made of the very thing the roof is made of—brick, lime, brick-dust.
  3941. 67"And it is as I said of the bel-fruit.
  3942. 68"He who has the Unmoving has the moving too.
  3943. 69"The 'I' will not go. As long as 'the jar of I' remains, the jiva and the world remain too. When one has attained Him one sees that He alone has becom…
  3944. 70"Siva has two states. When he is in samadhi—seated in the great yoga—then he is Atmarama. And again, when he comes down from that state—when a little…
  3945. 71In describing Siva's state, is the Master hinting at his own state?
  3946. 72Evening has come. The Master is repeating the name of the Mother of the Universe and thinking on Her. The devotees too went to solitary places and eac…
  3947. 73Today is the second day of the dark fortnight. A while after dusk the moon rose. Its light, falling on the temple tops, on the trees and creepers all…
  3948. 74Seeing All as Spirit—the Cashier's Letter to Mathur
  3949. 75Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Why should the world be unreal? All that is talk of reasoning. When one has the vision of Him, then one understands that He…
  3950. 76"In the Kali temple the Mother showed me that the Mother alone has become all. She showed me that all is Spirit!—the image is Spirit!—the altar is Spi…
  3951. 77"Inside the room I see—all as if steeped in rasa! In the rasa of Satchidananda.
  3952. 78"In front of the Kali temple I saw a wicked man—but I saw that in him too His power was blazing!
  3953. 79"That is why I fed a cat the luchis of the offering. I saw that the Mother alone has become all—even the cat. Then the cashier wrote a letter to Sejo…
  3954. 80"When one has attained Him one sees all this rightly: that He alone has become the jiva, the world, the twenty-four principles.
  3955. 81"But if He wipes out the 'I' altogether, then what happens cannot be told by the mouth. As Ramprasad has said:
  3956. 82'Then whether you are good or I am good, that you alone will understand.'
  3957. 83"That state too comes to me now and again.
  3958. 84"By reasoning one sees it one way—and when He shows it, then one sees it another way."
  3959. 1Chapter Four
  3960. 2God-vision the Aim of Life—Love the Means
  3961. 3It is the next day, Monday, and eight o'clock in the morning has come. The Master is seated in that same room. Rakhal, Latu and other devotees are the…
  3962. 4Mani entered the room, bowed down, and took his seat.
  3963. 5Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: The point is this—love for Satchidananda.
  3964. 6The Master's Vision of Sita—Words of Gauri Pandit
  3965. 7"What sort of love? In what way must God be loved? Gauri used to say that to know Rama you must become like Sita; to know Bhagavan you must become lik…
  3966. 8"I had a vision of the form of Sita. I saw that her whole mind was resting on Rama alone. Her yoni, her hands, her feet, her clothes and jewels—her ga…
  3967. 9Mani: Yes, sir—like a madwoman.
  3968. 10Sri Ramakrishna: Frenzied!—yes. To attain God one has to go mad.
  3969. 11"If the mind is on woman and gold, it does not come about. Sexual union with a woman—what joy is there in that! When God is seen, the bliss is ten mil…
  3970. 12The Guru Must Be a Perfect Jnani
  3971. 13Sri Ramakrishna: You must call on Him with a longing heart. You must hear it from the guru's lips—what to do so that He may be attained.
  3972. 14"Only when the guru is himself a perfect jnani can he show the way.
  3973. 15"When knowledge is perfect, desire goes—one's nature becomes that of a boy of five. Dattatreya and Jadabharata—theirs had become the nature of a boy."
  3974. 16Mani: Yes, sir, there is word of these—and how many more men of knowledge like them there have been.
  3975. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Yes! All the jnani's desires go—whatever is left does no harm. If a sword touches the philosopher's stone it turns to gold—after that…
  3976. 18Mani: Yes, sir, as you say, the jnani goes beyond the three gunas. He is in the grip of no guna whatever—sattva, rajas, tamas. All three of them are r…
  3977. 19Sri Ramakrishna: One must hold those things firmly in the mind.
  3978. 20Mani: There are not, I suppose, more than three or four perfect jnanis in the world.
  3979. 21Sri Ramakrishna: Why, in the monasteries of the west one sees many sadhus and sannyasis.
  3980. 22Mani: Sir, that kind of sannyasi I too can become!
  3981. 23At these words Sri Ramakrishna gazes steadily at Mani for some time.
  3982. 24Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: What, giving up everything?
  3983. 25Mani: What will come of it if maya does not go? If one cannot conquer maya, what will come of only becoming a sannyasi?
  3984. 26All of them remain silent for some while.
  3985. 27The Devotee beyond the Three Gunas Is Like a Child
  3986. 28Mani: Sir, what is meant by bhakti beyond the three gunas?
  3987. 29Sri Ramakrishna: When one has that bhakti, one sees everything as made of Consciousness. Syam made of Consciousness. The Abode made of Consciousness.…
  3988. 30Dr. Madhu, smiling: Bhakti beyond the three gunas—that is to say, the devotee is under the sway of no guna.
  3989. 31Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes! Like a boy of five—under the sway of no guna.
  3990. 32After the midday meal the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, is resting a little. Sri Manilal Mallick has come, bowed down, and taken a seat on the floor. Mani…
  3991. 33Mani Mallick: You had been to see Keshab Sen.
  3992. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Yes—how is he now?
  3993. 35Mani Mallick: He has not got any better at all.
  3994. 36Sri Ramakrishna: I found it very rajasic—I was kept sitting a long while—after that I saw him.
  3995. 37The Master has sat up and is talking with the devotees.
  3996. 38The Nectar of His Life from His Own Lips—The Master Mad with 'Rama, Rama'
  3997. 39Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: I had gone mad crying "Rama," "Rama." I used to go about carrying the sannyasi's Deity, Ramlala, all the while. I would bath…
  3998. 1Section Twelve
  3999. 2Chapter One
  4000. 3Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Dakshineswar
  4001. 4Sri Ramakrishna is always absorbed in samadhi; it is only for the training of Rakhal and the other devotees that he keeps busy with them, intent on ho…
  4002. 5On Tuesday, the fourth day of the moon in Agrahayana, the eighteenth of December 1883, he is sitting in the morning on the western verandah of his roo…
  4003. 6"Worldly people always have some desire or other, some craving. And yet you can see plenty of devotion in them too. Sejo Babu was caught up in some la…
  4004. 7"And Rati's mother, how devoted she was, in her way! She would often come and serve me. Rati's mother is a Vaishnava woman. Some days later, the momen…
  4005. 8Sri Ramakrishna is sitting inside the room near the eastern door. It is winter, and he has a moleskin wrapper about him. Suddenly he looks at the sun…
  4006. 9Is this the fulfilment of the Gayatri mantra: "We meditate on that adorable radiance of the shining Sun"?
  4007. 10After a long time the samadhi came to an end. Rakhal, Hazra, M. and others are sitting near him.
  4008. 11Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: Samadhi and bhava, yes, they come of love. Out in my part of the country, at Syambazar, there was a kirtan at Natabar Goswa…
  4009. 12"At the Harisabha in Jorasanko, during a kirtan of the same kind, I went into samadhi and lost all outward consciousness. That day there was a chance…
  4010. 13Sri Ramakrishna went to bathe. After his bath it is of that same love of the gopis that he speaks.
  4011. 14To Mani and the others: You must take on that pull the gopis felt, just a little of it!
  4012. 15"You should sing songs like these:
  4013. 16Friend, how far away is that forest, where my Syamasundar is! I cannot walk any further!
  4014. 17Home I must go, O Mother! To the home where it is hard to say Krishna's name. O my companions!
  4015. 18Chapter Two
  4016. 19For Rakhal's sake Sri Ramakrishna has vowed green coconut and sugar to the goddess Siddheswari. He says to Mani, "You will pay for the coconut and the…
  4017. 20In the afternoon Sri Ramakrishna, with Rakhal, Mani and others, is driving in a carriage towards the temple of Siddheswari at Thanthania. On the way i…
  4018. 21Arriving at the temple, he says to the devotees: Cut open a coconut, put the sugar in it, and give it to the Mother.
  4019. 22When he had reached the temple, the priests were there with their friends, playing cards before Mother Kali. Seeing this, the Master says to the devot…
  4020. 23Next Sri Ramakrishna has come to Jadu Mallick's house. A good many gentlemen are sitting with Jadu.
  4021. 24Jadu says, "Come in, come in." When each has asked after the other's welfare, Sri Ramakrishna begins to talk.
  4022. 25Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Why do you keep so many jesters and flatterers?
  4023. 26Jadu, smiling: "So that you will set them free." Everyone laughs.
  4024. 27Sri Ramakrishna: "The flatterers think their patron will pour out his money on them. But getting anything out of a patron is very hard. Once a jackal…
  4025. 28Jadu and his mother served Sri Ramakrishna and the devotees with refreshments.
  4026. 1Chapter Three
  4027. 2It is Wednesday, the nineteenth of December 1883, and it is past nine in the morning. Mani is in conversation with Sri Ramakrishna at the foot of the…
  4028. 3Mani, to Sri Ramakrishna: Can one not have both, jnana and bhakti?
  4029. 4Sri Ramakrishna: Those of a very high order have both. Isvarakotis have them, as Chaitanyadeva had. With the jivakotis it is another matter.
  4030. 5"Light, jyoti, is of five kinds: lamplight; the light of other fires; moonlight; sunlight; and moonlight and sunlight together in one. Bhakti is the m…
  4031. 6"Sometimes, while the sun has not yet set, you see the moon rising in the sky. In an Avatar and those like him you see the moon of bhakti and the sun…
  4032. 7"But can everyone have jnana and bhakti both together just by wishing it? It depends on the vessel. In one bamboo the hollow is wide, in another the h…
  4033. 8Mani: Why, what of His grace? If He is gracious, even a camel can get through a needle's eye.
  4034. 9Sri Ramakrishna: But does grace come just like that? If a beggar asks for a pice, you can give it to him. But what if he suddenly asks you for his rai…
  4035. 10Mani stands without a word. Sri Ramakrishna too is silent. Suddenly he says: Yes, it is so; in some vessels, if His grace descends, it can be; both ca…
  4036. 11Mani bows down before him and goes towards the bel tree.
  4037. 12It is midday before he comes back from the bel tree. Seeing how late it is, Sri Ramakrishna is coming towards the bel tree. Mani is on his way back wi…
  4038. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: I was coming to look for you. I thought, it is so late, I suppose he has jumped over the wall and run off! The look I saw in…
  4039. 14Chapter Four
  4040. 15Sri Ramakrishna with Mani and Other Devotees
  4041. 16Again at night Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Mani. Rakhal, Latu, Harish and others are there.
  4042. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Well now, some people give a spiritual interpretation of Krishna's lila. What do you say?
  4043. 18Mani: There are many views; what of that? You have told us about Bhishma: lying on his bed of arrows, as he was leaving the body, he said, "Why am I w…
  4044. 19"And you told us about Hanuman too. Hanuman used to say, 'I know nothing of weekdays, lunar days and stars and all that; I think only of Rama.'
  4045. 20"You have told us that there are only two things and nothing else, Brahman and Sakti. And you have said that when jnana comes, the knowledge of Brahma…
  4046. 21Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, it is so. When you want to get the thing, it does not matter whether you go through a thicket of thorns or walk there along a go…
  4047. 22"There are many views, true. Nangta used to say that because of views the holy men never got their feast. In one place a bhandara was being given. The…
  4048. 23Mani: Totapuri was a great man.
  4049. 24Sri Ramakrishna: Hazra calls him nothing special. No, my dear sir, there is no use talking. Everyone says his own watch keeps the right time.
  4050. 25"And Narayan Shastri, you see, came to a great renunciation. So learned a pandit, and he left his wife and went off, no one knows where! Yoga comes on…
  4051. 26"I must tell you something about the six centres. The yogis pierce the six centres and by His grace they see Him. Have you heard of the six centres?"
  4052. 27Mani: The seven planes of the Vedanta.
  4053. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Not the Vedanta; the view of the Vedas. Do you know what they are like, the six centres? Within the subtle body are all the lotuses;…
  4054. 29Mani: Yes, sir, the yogis can see them. A book says there is a sort of glass; look through it and very small things look big. In the same way, by yoga…
  4055. 30The kind of glass meant is a magnifier.
  4056. 31Sri Ramakrishna has asked him to stay in the Panchavati hut. Mani is spending the night in that hut.
  4057. 32At daybreak he is singing alone in that hut:
  4058. 33O Gaur, I have neither spiritual practice nor worship; Make me pure with Your touch, I am poor and lowly. Hoping, I shall reach Your feet, I shall rea…
  4059. 34Suddenly he looks towards the window and sees Sri Ramakrishna standing there. Hearing the words "Make me pure with Your touch, I am poor and lowly!" t…
  4060. 35Another song is sung:
  4061. 36I shall put the ochre cloth upon my body, And wear rings of conch-shell in my ears. In the garb of a yogini I shall go to that land Where cruel Hari d…
  4062. 37Rakhal is walking with Sri Ramakrishna.
  4063. 1Chapter Five
  4064. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Foot of the Bel-tree and under the Panchavati
  4065. 3Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Mani near the bel-tree. It must be about nine o'clock.
  4066. 4Today is Wednesday, the nineteenth of December 1883, the fifth day of the dark fortnight.
  4067. 5The bel-tree is the place of the Master's sadhana. It is a very lonely spot. To the north are the powder magazine and the wall. To the west the tamari…
  4068. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: But it will not do without giving up woman and gold.
  4069. 7Mani: Why? Vasishtha did tell Ramachandra—"Rama, if the world is apart from God, then renounce the world."
  4070. 8Sri Ramakrishna, smiling a little: That was for the killing of Ravana!—so Rama stayed in the world—he married.
  4071. 9Mani fell silent and remained standing like a piece of wood.
  4072. 10Having said this, Sri Ramakrishna went towards the Panchavati to go back to his own room.
  4073. 11'The Sadhana of the Formless Is Very Hard'
  4074. 12Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Mani under the Panchavati. It is about ten o'clock.
  4075. 13Mani: Sir, can there be no sadhana of the formless?
  4076. 14Sri Ramakrishna: Why should it not be possible? That path is very hard. The rishis of old, through great austerity, would come to know—would experienc…
  4077. 15Greater is the toil of those whose minds are fixed on the Unmanifest; for the goal that is unmanifest is reached with pain by embodied beings. Bhagava…
  4078. 16"In this sadhana it will not do if even the least trace of worldly-mindedness remains. Form, taste, smell, touch—these objects must not remain in the…
  4079. 17"Then another state comes. 'God alone is the doer, I am not the doer.' There will be no feeling that things cannot go on without me—in happiness or in…
  4080. 18"Wicked men had beaten a sadhu of a monastery—he had fallen senseless. When he came to and was asked, Who is giving you milk? he said, He who struck m…
  4081. 19Mani: Yes, sir, I know.
  4082. 20Sthita Samadhi and Unmana Samadhi
  4083. 21Sri Ramakrishna: No, merely knowing will not do—one must hold it fast.
  4084. 22"The thought of worldly things does not let the mind go into samadhi.
  4085. 23"When worldly-mindedness is given up altogether, sthita samadhi comes. In my sthita samadhi the body might fall away, but I have a desire to stay a wh…
  4086. 24"There is another, unmana samadhi. Gathering up the scattered mind suddenly. Have you understood that?
  4087. 25Mani: Yes, sir.
  4088. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Gathering up the scattered mind suddenly. This samadhi does not last long; the thought of worldly things comes and it is broken—the y…
  4089. 27"In those parts a mongoose lives in a hole inside a wall. While it stays in the hole it lives quite at ease. Some people bind a brick to its tail—then…
  4090. 28"Worldly people may at times come into the state of samadhi. The lotus opens at sunrise, but when the sun is hidden by cloud, the lotus closes up agai…
  4091. 29Mani: If one practises sadhana, can one not have both knowledge and devotion?
  4092. 30Sri Ramakrishna: If one lives with devotion, both come. If it is needed, He alone gives the Knowledge of Brahman. If one is of a very high order, both…
  4093. 1The next day, Friday the twenty-first of December, in the morning, Sri Ramakrishna is alone with Mani under the bel tree, talking with him of many thi…
  4094. 2After his meal he has come to the Panchavati, a lovely sight in his yellow cloth! Two or three Vaishnava babajis have come to the Panchavati, one of t…
  4095. 3In the afternoon a sadhu of the Nanak sect has come. Harish and Rakhal are there as well. The sadhu holds that God is formless. The Master is telling…
  4096. 4Sri Ramakrishna says to the sadhu: Dive deep. You will not find the gem by floating on the surface. And God is without form, and with form too. If you…
  4097. 1Chapter Five
  4098. 2At Dakshineswar with the Devotees: Balaram's Father and Others
  4099. 3Today is Saturday the twenty-second of December, 1883. It must be about nine in the morning. Balaram's father has come. Rakhal, Harish, M. and Latu ar…
  4100. 4A devotee asks, "How does one come to bhakti?"
  4101. 5Sri Ramakrishna, to Balaram's father and the other devotees: Press on ahead. The king is there beyond seven gates. Only when you have passed through e…
  4102. 6"When Annapurna was being installed at Chanak, I told Dwarika Babu: In a big pond there are big fish in the deep water. Throw in bait, and at the smel…
  4103. 7Sri Ramakrishna and the Doctrine of the Avatar
  4104. 8"God sports as a man. He comes down as a man, as Sri Krishna, Ramachandra and Chaitanyadeva did.
  4105. 9"I said to Keshab Sen that He is manifest more in man than in anything else. In the ridges between the fields there are little holes, which they call…
  4106. 10"Within that man of three and a half cubits the Mother of the World is manifest. There is a song:
  4107. 11What a machine Mother Syama has made! What sport She shows inside the machine three and a half cubits tall! Herself She stays within it and turns it,…
  4108. 12"But to know God, to recognize the Avatar, you need spiritual practice. There are big fish in the pond, but you must throw in bait. There is butter in…
  4109. 13The Discipline of the Formless and Sri Ramakrishna
  4110. 14A devotee, to Sri Ramakrishna: Well, is He with form or formless?
  4111. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Wait! First go to Calcutta, and then you will know where the Maidan is, where the Asiatic Society is, where the Bengal Bank is!
  4112. 16"If you want to go to Bamunpara in Khardah, you must first reach Khardah.
  4113. 17"Why should the discipline of the formless not succeed? But it is very hard. Without the renunciation of woman and gold it cannot be done! There must…
  4114. 18"The discipline of God with form is easy. Yet it is not so very easy either.
  4115. 19"The discipline of the formless, the discipline of jnanayoga, is not to be spoken of before devotees. With great difficulty a little bhakti is coming…
  4116. 20"Kabir Das held that God is formless. He would not accept Siva, Kali, Krishna and the rest. Kabir used to say that Kali lives on rice and bananas, and…
  4117. 21"A seeker of the formless may perhaps see first the ten-armed form; then the four-armed; then the two-armed Gopala; and at last he sees the Light that…
  4118. 22"Dattatreya and Jadabharata never came back after seeing Brahman; so it is said.
  4119. 23"According to one view, Sukadeva tasted only a single drop of that ocean of Brahman. He saw the surge and heard the roar of its waves, but he did not…
  4120. 24"A brahmachari had said that if you go beyond Kedar the body does not last. So too, after the knowledge of Brahman the body does not last. Death comes…
  4121. 25"Beyond a wall there was a boundless meadow. Four friends tried to see what lay beyond the wall. One by one they climbed up on it, saw that meadow, la…
  4122. 26"Parvati was born in the house of Himalaya, and she began to show her father her many forms. Himalaya said: 'Mother, I have seen all these forms. But…
  4123. 27"Himalaya would not let her be on any account. Then Parvati showed it to him, just once. The moment he saw it, the king of the mountains fell senseles…
  4124. 28Sri Ramakrishna and Bhaktiyoga
  4125. 29Sri Ramakrishna: All I have just said is the talk of reasoning: Brahman is real, the world unreal; that is the reasoning. All is like a dream. It is a…
  4126. 30"So God comes down as the Avatar and teaches bhakti; He tells men to take refuge in Him. Through bhakti, by His grace, everything comes: jnana, vijnan…
  4127. 31"He is playing His lila; He is in the power of His devotee.
  4128. 32"'By what device is Syama Herself held bound by the cord of devotion!'
  4129. 33"Sometimes God is the magnet, and the devotee is the needle. Then again, sometimes the devotee is the magnet, and He the needle. The devotee draws Him…
  4130. 34"According to one view, Yasoda and the other gopis had been worshippers of the formless in an earlier birth. That had not satisfied them. So in the li…
  4131. 35"That is why He is manifest more in the Avatar. While the Avatar is still in the body, He should be worshipped and served.
  4132. 36'He is a thief who lurks within the inner room; When dawn comes, he will slip away and hide.'
  4133. 37"Not everyone can recognize the Avatar. When He takes a body there is disease and grief, hunger and thirst, all of it; He seems to be just like us. Ra…
  4134. 38'Brahman is caught in the snare of the five elements and weeps.'
  4135. 39"It is told in the Puranas that after the slaying of Hiranyaksha the Boar Avatar was living with a litter of young ones, giving them suck." Everyone l…
  4136. 1Chapter Six
  4137. 2Sri Ramakrishna with Bhavanath, Rakhal, Mani, Latu and Others
  4138. 3In the afternoon Bhavanath has come. Rakhal, M., Harish and others are in the room. It is Saturday, the twenty-second of December, 1883.
  4139. 4Sri Ramakrishna, to Bhavanath: Once love for the Avatar comes, that is enough. Ah, what love the gopis had!
  4140. 5Saying this, he sings, in the mood of the gopis:
  4141. 6Song: Syam, You are the very life of my life. Song: I will not go home, no, I will not (O my companions) Song: That day I was standing at the door (Be…
  4142. 7"In the Rasa dance, when Sri Krishna vanished from their midst, the gopis were utterly mad! Seeing a tree, they said: 'You are an ascetic, I suppose;…
  4143. 8"When Akrura came, and Sri Krishna and Balarama mounted his chariot to go to Mathura, the gopis held on to the chariot's wheels; they would not let th…
  4144. 9With these words Sri Ramakrishna sings again:
  4145. 10Do not hold, do not hold the chariot's wheels! Is it by wheels that the chariot moves? Hari is the Lord of that wheel; by His wheel the world moves!
  4146. 11Sri Ramakrishna says: These words, "Is it by wheels that the chariot moves?", touch me deeply! "The wheel by which the universe turns!" The charioteer…
  4147. 1Section Eight
  4148. 2In the Temple at Dakshineswar: Sri Ramakrishna in the Form of the Guru, with the Devotees
  4149. 3Chapter One
  4150. 4In the Shrine of Samadhi: The Vision of God, and the Master's State of a Paramahamsa
  4151. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the south-eastern verandah of his room with Rakhal, Latu, Mani, Harish and other devotees. It must be nine o'clock. Sund…
  4152. 6Today is the tenth day of Mani's stay in the house of his guru.
  4153. 7Sri Manomohan has come from Konnagar in the morning. After seeing the Master and resting a while, he will go to Calcutta again. Hazra too is sitting n…
  4154. 8Sri Gauranga, the beautiful, the new Natavara, with a body of molten gold. Making his own form another, hiding the marks, come down in Nadia. To destr…
  4155. 9The song that followed was on mental worship.
  4156. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: This song (mental worship) felt somehow odd.
  4157. 11Hazra: This is not one for a sadhaka—lamp of knowledge, image of knowledge!
  4158. 12Totapuri's Weeping at the Panchavati; Padmalochan's Weeping
  4159. 13Sri Ramakrishna: How odd it felt to me!
  4160. 14"The songs of earlier days are all just right. At the Panchavati I had sung songs before Nangta—'O jiva, array yourself for battle; in battle dress De…
  4161. 15"Nangta, so great a jnani—he began to weep without so much as understanding the meaning.
  4162. 16"How just right the words are in all these songs—
  4163. 17"Think on Srikanta, the slayer of Naraka; you will be wholly rid of the fear of Death!
  4164. 18"Padmalochan began to weep, hearing Ramprasad's songs from my lips. Just see, so great a pundit!"
  4165. 19God-vision—One and Many; Unity in Diversity.
  4166. 20Sri Ramakrishna and the Doctrine of Vishishtadvaita
  4167. 21After the meal the Master has rested a little. Mani is sitting on the floor. Listening to the rasunchauki playing in the nahabat, the Master is full o…
  4168. 22After listening, he is explaining to Mani that Brahman alone has become the jivas and the world.
  4169. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Someone said that in such and such a place there is no name of Hari. The very moment he said it, I saw that He alone has bec…
  4170. 24The Self dwelling in every being, and every being in the Self, he sees, whose self is joined in yoga, who sees the same everywhere: the Gita.
  4171. 25"Once, on the way from that part of the country to Burdwan, I ran off towards the fields—I said, let me see how the jivas here eat and live!—I go and…
  4172. 26Hazra came into the room and sat down on the floor.
  4173. 27Sri Ramakrishna: Flowers of many kinds—petals layer upon layer†—that too I am seeing!—small bubbles, big bubbles!
  4174. 28And so in the Self too, for there are manifold things: the Vedanta Sutra, 28—1, 2.
  4175. 29As he speaks of all these visions of God's forms, the Master is passing into samadhi. He is saying, I have become! I have come!
  4176. 30The moment he said this, he passed wholly into samadhi. All is still! After long enjoyment, a little awareness of the outer world is coming.
  4177. 31Now he is laughing like a boy. Laughing and laughing, he is walking up and down the room.
  4178. 32When Agitation and Desire Are Gone, the State of a Paramahamsa; the Paramahamsa He Saw under the Banyan in His Days of Sadhana
  4179. 33Like the light of joy that streams from the eyes after a wondrous vision, such was the look that came into the Master's eyes. A smile on his face. A v…
  4180. 34Walking up and down, the Master is saying.—
  4181. 35"I saw the paramahamsa of the banyan tree—he was walking along laughing like this!—Has that same nature become mine.
  4182. 36After pacing like this, the Master has gone and sat on the small cot, and is talking with the Mother of the Universe.
  4183. 37The Master is saying—'Let it be, I do not even want to know!—Mother, may there be pure devotion at Your lotus feet!'
  4184. 38To Mani: When agitation and desire are gone, this is the state!
  4185. 39Again he is saying to the Mother—'Mother! You have taken worship away—let not all desire go! Mother, the paramahamsa is a child—does a child not need…
  4186. 40The Master is talking with the Mother in such a voice—that even stone would melt. Again he is saying to the Mother—'Mother! Mere knowledge of Advaita!…
  4187. 41Mani, wonderstruck, is watching this state of the Master's, hard for the gods to attain. He is thinking, the Master is an ocean of causeless grace. It…
  4188. 42Mani thinks further—'The Master says, Advaita—Chaitanya—Nityananda. When there is knowledge of Advaita, there is Chaitanya—and then alone there is Nit…
  4189. 43Seeing this state of the Master's all of a sudden, Hazra joined his palms and began to say from time to time—'Blessed! Blessed!'
  4190. 44Sri Ramakrishna is saying to Hazra—"Where is your faith? So you are here like Jatila and Kutila—to fill out the lila."
  4191. 45It is afternoon. Mani is walking alone in the solitude of the temple garden. He is thinking of this wondrous state of the Master Sri Ramakrishna. And…
  4192. 1Chapter Two
  4193. 2Secret Talk
  4194. 3All the rishis speak of You so, and the divine sage Narada too, Asita, Devala and Vyasa; and You Yourself tell it to me. Bhagavad Gita
  4195. 4The next day Sri Ramakrishna is talking alone with Mani in the tamarisk grove. It must be about eight o'clock. It is Monday, the tenth lunar day of th…
  4196. 5It is winter. The sun has just risen in the eastern quarter. To the west of the tamarisk grove the Ganges flows on. She is flowing north now—the flood…
  4197. 6Totapuri's Teaching to the Master on the Knowledge of Brahman
  4198. 7Sri Ramakrishna: The formless is true, and the one with form is true as well.
  4199. 8"Nangta used to teach what Satchidananda Brahman is like. It is like a boundless ocean—above and below, to the right and to the left, water within wat…
  4200. 9"Then again he would say, where reasoning goes and comes to a stop, that is Brahman. It is like camphor: when you light it, it burns away, and not eve…
  4201. 10"Brahman is beyond speech and mind. A salt doll went to measure the sea. It did not come back to bring word. It melted in the sea itself.
  4202. 11"The rishis had said to Rama, 'Rama, Bharadvaja and the others may call you an Incarnation. But we do not say that. We worship the Sabda-Brahman. We h…
  4203. 12The Nitya and the Lila Are Both True
  4204. 13"But He to whom the Nitya belongs, to Him alone belongs the Lila. As I have said, it is the roof and the stairs. The Lila of Isvara, the Lila of the g…
  4205. 14Is Sri Ramakrishna an Incarnation? His Life from His Own Lips: Kshudiram's Dream at Gaya; Hriday's Mother Worships the Master; Mathur Sees the Divine…
  4206. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: He becomes an Incarnation and teaches knowledge and bhakti. Well, how do I seem to you?
  4207. 16"My father had gone to Gaya. There Raghuvir gave him a dream: I shall become your son. Having seen the dream, my father said, Lord, I am a poor brahmi…
  4208. 17"Didi—Hriday's mother—would do puja to my feet with flowers and sandal. One day, putting a foot on her head, (the Mother) said, You will die in Kasi i…
  4209. 18"Sejo Babu said, There is nothing else inside you—it is God Himself who is there. The body is only a shell—like a pumpkin with its shape outside, but…
  4210. 19"Everything is shown beforehand. Under the banyan (at the foot of the Panchavati) I had seen Gauranga's band singing sankirtan. Within it I had seen,…
  4211. 20"I had wanted to know Gauranga's bhava. Over there in the country—at Shyambazar—I was shown it. People in the trees, on the walls—people at my side ni…
  4212. 21"I shall have to come once more. That is why I am not giving my companions all knowledge." He smiled. "If I gave you all knowledge—then why would you…
  4213. 22"I have recognized you—from hearing you read the Chaitanya Bhagavata. You are my own—one being—like father and son. Everyone is coming here—like a clu…
  4214. 23"As long as you had not come here, you had forgotten; now you will be able to know yourself. He comes as the guru and makes it known.
  4215. 24Totapuri's Teaching: God Come as the Guru Makes One Know One's Own Nature
  4216. 25"Nangta told the story of the tiger and the goats! A tigress had fallen upon a flock of goats. A hunter saw her from far off and killed her. There was…
  4217. 26"One day a fearsome tiger fell upon the flock of goats. It saw with amazement that among them a tiger was eating grass—and it ran away along with the…
  4218. 27"Eating grass means living with woman and gold. To bleat like the goats and run away—that is behaving like an ordinary jiva. To go off with the tiger…
  4219. 28The Master stood up. All around was stillness. Only the sighing of the tamarisks and the murmur of the Ganges! He crosses the railing and goes through…
  4220. 29Sri Ramakrishna Bows Down at the Foot of the Banyan
  4221. 30Coming to the Panchavati, he stood at the place where the branch has fallen, faced east, and bowed down at the foot of the banyan, touching the platfo…
  4222. 31By way of the bakul tree he has come near the nahabat. Mani is with him.
  4223. 32Coming near the nahabat, he saw Hazra. The Master is saying to him, 'Do not eat too much. And give up the mania for purity. Those who have the mania f…
  4224. 33Chapter Three
  4225. 34With Rakhal, Ram, Surendra, Latu and Others
  4226. 35After his meal the Master is resting a little. Today is the twenty-fourth of December. The Christmas holidays have begun. Surendra, Ram and other devo…
  4227. 36It must be about one o'clock. Mani is walking alone in the tamarisk grove when Harish, standing by the railing, says to Mani in a loud voice: The Lord…
  4228. 37The Siva Samhita speaks of yoga—it speaks of the six chakras.
  4229. 38Mani came to the Master's room, bowed down and sat. The Master is seated on the bedstead, the devotees on the floor. The Siva Samhita was not read aft…
  4230. 39Prema-bhakti and the Lila of Vrindavan; the Incarnation and the Lila of Man
  4231. 40Sri Ramakrishna: The prema-bhakti of the gopis. In prema-bhakti there are two things—I-ness and my-ness. If one does not serve Krishna, Krishna will f…
  4232. 41"My-ness—saying 'mine, mine.' The gopis had such my-ness, for fear some hurt might come to His feet, that their subtle bodies would stay beneath the s…
  4233. 42"Yasoda said, I do not know your Chintamani Krishna—my Gopala! The gopis too say, 'Where is the Beloved of my life! The Beloved of my heart!' There is…
  4234. 43"It is like little children—I have seen it—saying, 'My father.' If someone says, 'No, he is not your father'—then they will say, 'No, my father.'
  4235. 44"In the Lila of man the Incarnation has to act exactly as a man does—so it is hard to know Him. Having become a man, He is exactly a man. The same hun…
  4236. 45"In the theatre, one who plays the sadhu will behave just as a sadhu does—he will not behave like the one who is playing the king. Whatever he is dres…
  4237. 46"A mummer has dressed up as 'a sadhu of renunciation.' Seeing that the costume was just right, the babus went to give him a rupee. He would not take i…
  4238. 47"In the same way God, when He becomes a man, behaves exactly like a man.
  4239. 48"If you go to Vrindavan, you see many places of His Lila."
  4240. 49Instruction to Surendra: Giving for the Service of Devotees, and Truthful Speech
  4241. 50Surendra: We had gone during the holidays—they went on so: "Give money," "Give money." They began to go, "Give," "give"—the pandas and all the rest. I…
  4242. 51Sri Ramakrishna: What! Shame! Shame! To say you will go tomorrow and run away today! Shame!
  4243. 52Surendra, ashamed: In the woods, here and there, we had seen babajis sitting in solitude doing their spiritual practice and worship.
  4244. 53Sri Ramakrishna: Did you give the babajis anything?
  4245. 54Surendra: No, sir.
  4246. 55Sri Ramakrishna: You did not do well in that. One should give something to sadhus and devotees. Those who have money should give something when such p…
  4247. 56His Life from His Own Lips: The Pilgrimage to Vrindavan with Mathur, 1868
  4248. 57"I had gone to Vrindavan—with Sejo Babu.
  4249. 58"No sooner had I seen the Dhruva Ghat at Mathura than in a flash came the vision: Vasudeva, holding Krishna on his lap, is crossing the Jamuna.
  4250. 59"Then again, at dusk I am walking on the sands by the Jamuna; on the sand, little thatched huts. Big kul trees. In the twilight the cows are coming ho…
  4251. 60"The moment I saw it, I cried out, 'Where is Krishna!'—and lost consciousness.
  4252. 61"I had wanted to see Syamakunda and Radhakunda. They sent me in a palanquin. It was a long way; they put luchis and jilipis inside the palanquin. Whil…
  4253. 62"Hriday was coming behind me along the road. I began to float in tears. I could not tell the bearers to stop!
  4254. 63"Going to Syamakunda and Radhakunda, I saw that the sadhus had each made a kind of hut—inside it they do their spiritual practice and worship with the…
  4255. 64"On seeing Bankubihari I had gone into bhava; I had gone to take hold of Him. I did not want to see Govindaji twice. Going to Mathura I had seen the c…
  4256. 65Sri Surendra, Devotee of the Devi: Yoga and Bhoga
  4257. 66"You have yoga, and you have bhoga as well.
  4258. 67"Brahmarshi, devarshi, rajarshi. A brahmarshi is one like Sukadeva—not a single book with him. A devarshi, like Narada. A rajarshi, Janaka—he does wor…
  4259. 68"The devotee of the Devi gains both dharma and moksha. And he enjoys artha and kama too.
  4260. 69"One day I had seen you as a son of the Devi. In you there are both, yoga and bhoga. If not, your face would have been dry.
  4261. 70The Master Sees a Devotee of the Devi at the Ghat: Navin Niyogi's Yoga and Bhoga
  4262. 71"The face of one who has renounced everything is dry. At the ghat I had seen a devotee of the Devi. He is eating, and along with it he is worshipping…
  4263. 72"Still, to have too much money is not good. Now I have seen that Jadu Mallick has gone under! He has come by too much money, you see.
  4264. 73"Navin Niyogi—he too has both, yoga and bhoga. At the Durga Puja father and son are both waving the chamara."
  4265. 74Surendra: Sir, why does meditation not come to me?
  4266. 75Sri Ramakrishna: But there is remembering and reflecting, isn't there?
  4267. 76Surendra: Yes, sir, I fall asleep saying Mother, Mother.
  4268. 77Sri Ramakrishna: Very good. If there is remembering and reflecting, that is enough.
  4269. 78The Master has taken Surendra's burden on himself; what then has he to worry about?
  4270. 79Chapter Four
  4271. 80Sri Ramakrishna and the Teaching of Yoga
  4272. 81After dusk the Master is sitting with the devotees. Mani too is sitting on the floor with the devotees. The talk is of yoga—of the six chakras. All th…
  4273. 82Sri Ramakrishna: Ida, Pingala, Sushumna—within the Sushumna are all the lotuses—made of Consciousness. Like a tree of wax—branches, leaves, fruit—all…
  4274. 83To Mani: "Through the yoga of bhakti the Kulakundalini is quickly awakened. But unless She awakes, God is not seen. Sing the song, and sing it with a…
  4275. 84'Awake, Mother Kulakundalini! You whose very nature is Eternal Bliss, In the form of a sleeping serpent, dwelling in the lotus of the base.'
  4276. 85"Through song Ramprasad attained perfection. If one sings with longing, one sees God!"
  4277. 86Mani: Yes, sir; if one does these things but once, the heart's regret is wiped away!
  4278. 87Sri Ramakrishna: Ah! The regret is wiped away indeed. I shall have to tell you a few broad things about yoga.
  4279. 88The Guru Does Everything: Spiritual Practice and Perfection; Narendra Perfect by Nature
  4280. 89"You see, until the chick inside the egg has grown big, the bird does not peck. As soon as the time comes, the bird breaks the egg open.
  4281. 90"Still, a little spiritual practice is needed. The guru does everything—yet at the end He makes one do a little practice. When a big tree is being fel…
  4282. 91"When a canal is dug to bring water, and a little more digging will join it to the river, then the one who is digging steps aside. Then the soil, soak…
  4283. 92"Once ego and upadhi, all these, are given up, God can be seen. 'I am a pandit,' 'I am the son of so-and-so,' 'I am rich,' 'I am honoured'—once these…
  4284. 93"God is real and all else is transitory, the world is transitory: this is called discrimination. Without discrimination, instruction is not taken in.
  4285. 94"Practising and practising spiritual discipline, by His grace one attains perfection. A little toil is needed. Right after that, the vision and the ga…
  4286. 95"Hearing that a pot of gold is buried in such-and-such a place, a man runs off and begins to dig. As he digs and digs, the sweat drips from his head.…
  4287. 96"He takes out the pot and pours out the gold coins, counts them in his hands, and what joy! Seeing, touching, enjoying! Isn't it so?"
  4288. 97Mani: Yes, sir.
  4289. 98The Master is silent for a little while. Again he is speaking:
  4290. 99Who Are My Own? The Teaching to Keep the Ekadasi
  4291. 100"Those who are my own will come again even if I scold them.
  4292. 101"Ah, what a nature Narendra has! Before, he used to say whatever he pleased about Mother Kali; one day, vexed, I said, 'Rascal, you are not to come he…
  4293. 102Mani: Yes, sir.
  4294. 103Sri Ramakrishna: Narendra is perfect by nature—devoted to the formless.
  4295. 104Mani, smiling: Whenever he comes he brings a to-do along with him.
  4296. 105The Master is laughing with joy and saying, 'A to-do indeed.'
  4297. 1The next day, Tuesday, the twenty-fifth of December, the ekadasi of the dark fortnight. It must be about eleven o'clock in the morning. The Master has…
  4298. 2Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Keeping the ekadasi is good. Through it the mind becomes very pure, and devotion to God arises. Isn't that so?
  4299. 3Mani: Yes, sir.
  4300. 4Sri Ramakrishna: You will take puffed rice and milk—won't you?
  4301. 1Section Thirteen
  4302. 2Chapter One
  4303. 3Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in Sri Ramchandra's Garden
  4304. 4Today Sri Ramakrishna is going to see Ramchandra's new garden. It is the twenty-sixth of December, 1883.
  4305. 5Ram worships the Master, regarding him as an Avatar in very person. He comes to Dakshineswar quite often, and goes away after seeing the Master and wo…
  4306. 6In the carriage are Manilal Mallick, M., and one or two other devotees. Manilal Mallick belongs to the Brahmo Samaj; the Brahmo devotees do not accept…
  4307. 7Sri Ramakrishna, to Manilal: To meditate on Him, one should first try to meditate on Him as free of every attribute. He is beyond all attributes, beyo…
  4308. 8"When He comes down as a man, meditation becomes very easy. Narayana is within the man. The body is a covering, as if a light were burning inside a la…
  4309. 9Alighting from the carriage and entering the garden, the Master goes first, with Ram and the devotees, to see the tulsi grove.
  4310. 10Looking at the tulsi grove, the Master stands for a while and says, "Ah, a fine place! One can think of God well here."
  4311. 11Now the Master comes and sits in the room to the south of the pond. Ramchandra brings pomegranates, oranges and a few sweets on a plate and sets them…
  4312. 12After a little while he walks all round the garden.
  4313. 13Now he is going to Surendra's garden close by. He will walk a little way on foot and then get into the carriage, and so drive to Surendra's garden.
  4314. 14As he walks along with the devotees, Sri Ramakrishna notices a sadhu sitting alone on a cot under a tree in the garden next door. The moment he sees h…
  4315. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to the sadhu: What order do you belong to? Do you bear any title, Giri or Puri?
  4316. 16The sadhu: People call me a paramahamsa.
  4317. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Good, very good. "Sivoham, I am Siva": that is good. But there is one thing. This creation, preservation and dissolution go on day an…
  4318. 18"So long as He keeps us within this lila, we feel them to be two. Say Sakti, and Brahman is there. It is like this: so long as you are aware of night,…
  4319. 19"And in another state He shows that Brahman lies beyond knowledge and ignorance alike; nothing can be said of It in words. Jo hai so hai, It is what I…
  4320. 20After some such holy talk Sri Ramakrishna goes towards the carriage. The sadhu comes along too, to see him into it. Like a friend of many years, Sri R…
  4321. 21Having seen him into the carriage, the sadhu went back to his own place.
  4322. 22Now Sri Ramakrishna has come to Surendra's garden. As soon as he has taken his seat with the devotees, the first thing he speaks of is the sadhu.
  4323. 23Sri Ramakrishna: "He is a good sadhu." Then, to Ram: "When you go, take the sadhu to the garden at Dakshineswar."
  4324. 24"He is a good sadhu. There is a song that says: Unless one becomes simple, one cannot know the Simple.
  4325. 25"As for one who holds that God is formless, that is good. He is without form, He is with form, and who knows what more besides! He whose is the Nitya,…
  4326. 26After taking a little refreshment at Surendra's garden too, Sri Ramakrishna sets out with the devotees for Dakshineswar.
  4327. 1Section Seven
  4328. 2Sri Ramakrishna Invited to Calcutta
  4329. 3Chapter One
  4330. 4The Auspicious Coming to the House of Sri Ishan Mukhopadhyay
  4331. 5At the Kali temple in Dakshineswar the sweet sound of the mangalarati is heard. With it the roshanchauki is playing in a morning raga. Sri Ramakrishna…
  4332. 6Rakhal is staying here with the Master at present. Baburam came last night. Mani has been with the Master fourteen days today.
  4333. 7Today is Thursday, the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight of Agrahayana, the twenty-seventh of December 1883. Early this morning the Master has bath…
  4334. 8Sri Ramakrishna called Mani and said, "Word was left asking me to go to Ishan's today. Baburam will go, and you will go too, with me."
  4335. 9Mani began to make ready to go.
  4336. 10It is winter. At eight o'clock a carriage came and stood near the nahabat; it is to take the Master. Flowering plants on every side, the Bhagirathi in…
  4337. 11The Master's face was all smiles; all the way he came rejoicing. At nine o'clock the carriage entered Calcutta, went by Shyambazar, and in time arrive…
  4338. 12Ishan and his relatives received the Master warmly, with smiling faces, and led him to the sitting-room downstairs. The Master took his seat with the…
  4339. 13After greetings on both sides the Master is talking with Shrish, Ishan's son. Shrish has passed the M.A. and the B.L. and is practising law at Alipore…
  4340. 14The Great Remedy for the Bondage of Karma, and Sinful Action—Karma Yoga
  4341. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to Shrish: What is it you do?
  4342. 16Shrish: Sir; I go out to Alipore. I practise law.
  4343. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Such a man as this, and practising law? To Shrish: Well, is there anything you would like to ask?
  4344. 18"How is it, living unattached in the world?"
  4345. 19Shrish: But in the course of work one has to do so many wrong things in the world. One man is doing sinful deeds, another virtuous ones. Is all this t…
  4346. 20Sri Ramakrishna: How long does karma last! As long as He is not attained. When He is attained, everything falls away. Then one passes beyond sin and v…
  4347. 21"When the fruit appears, the flower falls. The flower appears so that the fruit may come.
  4348. 22"How long do the sandhya and the other rites last? As long as the hair does not stand on end and tears do not come to the eyes when one takes the name…
  4349. 23"Knowing him, one passes beyond sin and virtue.
  4350. 24"Prasad says, enjoyment and liberation, both I have set upon my head, I have known Kali as Brahman, known the heart of it, and given up all right and…
  4351. 25"The further you go towards him, the more he will lessen your work. When the daughter-in-law of a household is with child, the mother-in-law lessens h…
  4352. 26Shrish: While one goes on living in the world, it is very hard to go towards him.
  4353. 27Teaching for the Householder: the Yoga of Practice and Sadhana in Solitude
  4354. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Why? The yoga of practice? In that country the women of the carpenter families sell flattened rice. Listen to how many things they ke…
  4355. 29"See—suckling the baby, the pedal falling, pushing the paddy under and taking up the husked grain, and talking with the customer too, she is doing all…
  4356. 30"After knowledge one can live in the world. But first, you see, knowledge has to be gained. If the milk of the mind is put into the water of the world…
  4357. 31"Do that, and it is done; sadhana is needed. In the first stage it is very needful to live in solitude. When the aswattha tree is a sapling, a fence h…
  4358. 32"So in the first stage one has to go into solitude now and then. Sadhana is needed. You want rice to eat; you sit there saying, There is fire in the w…
  4359. 33"If you take siddhi you become intoxicated, you feel joy. You did not take it, you did nothing at all, and you sit there saying, 'Siddhi, siddhi'! Doe…
  4360. 34The Attainment of God, the Purpose of Life—Higher and Lower Knowledge—Drinking the Milk
  4361. 35"Learn to read and write a thousand times over; if there is no devotion to God, if there is no wish to attain Him—it is all worthless. The mere pundit…
  4362. 36"The learning by which he is known, that alone is learning; all else is worthless.
  4363. 37"Well, what is your notion of God?"
  4364. 38Shrish: Sir, this much I have come to feel—that there is a Person who is all knowledge, and that in seeing His creation one finds the evidence of His…
  4365. 39Sri Ramakrishna: That He exists can be known by looking at the world. But to hear of Him is one thing, to see Him is another, and to talk with Him is…
  4366. 40The Longing for Liberation, or Yearning for God, Waits upon Its Time
  4367. 41Shrish: One does not get the leisure to call on Him.
  4368. 42Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That is so; until the time comes nothing happens. A little boy, going to bed, said to his mother, Mother, when I need to go…
  4369. 43"What is to be given to whom, He has fixed it all. A mother-in-law used to give her daughters-in-law their rice by the measure of a clay lid. By that…
  4370. 44Give Him Your Power of Attorney, or Let Him Sign for You
  4371. 45To Shrish: "What can you do? Lay everything at His feet; hand Him your power of attorney. Let Him do what is good. If the charge is given to a great m…
  4372. 46"Sadhana is needed, true enough; but there are two kinds of sadhakas—one kind of sadhaka has the nature of the young monkey, and another kind of sadha…
  4373. 47"But the kitten cannot lay hold of its mother by itself. It lies there and only cries mew, mew! It is all as the mother does. The mother puts it now o…
  4374. 48Chapter Two
  4375. 49It is late in the day; the head of the household is to have rice and curries made and feed the Master. So he is very busy. He has gone into the inner…
  4376. 50It is late, and so the Master has grown restless. He is walking about a little inside the room. But his face is smiling. Now and then he talks with Ke…
  4377. 51God the Doer—and Yet the Jiva's Responsibility for Its Actions—responsibility
  4378. 52Keshab the kirtan singer: Well, He alone is the 'instrument' and the 'cause'. Duryodhana had said, 'O Hrishikesha, seated in my heart, as You set me t…
  4379. 53Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes, He is causing all to be done, true; He alone is the Doer, man is in the nature of an instrument.
  4380. 54"And yet this is true as well, that the fruit of karma is there, it is surely there. Eat chillies and your stomach will burn; he himself has laid it d…
  4381. 55"But one who has gained perfection, who has seen God, cannot commit sin. The foot of a trained man does not fall off the beat. One whose voice is trai…
  4382. 56The meal is ready. The Master went with the devotees into the inner apartments and took his seat. At this Brahmin's house many kinds of dishes had bee…
  4383. 57It is three o'clock. After the meal Sri Ramakrishna has come into Ishan's sitting-room and is seated there. Shrish and M. are sitting near him. The Ma…
  4384. 58Sri Ramakrishna: What is your bhava? So'ham, or the served and the servant?
  4385. 59For the Householder, Jnana Yoga or Bhakti Yoga?
  4386. 60"For the man of the world the bhava of the served and the servant is very good. All this work is being done; in that state how can this bhava, 'I am H…
  4387. 61"Hanuman had the bhava of the dasa. Hanuman said to Rama, 'Rama, sometimes I think, You are the whole, I am a part; You are the Lord, I am the dasa; a…
  4388. 62When there is knowledge of the Truth, So'ham may come, but that is a far-off matter."
  4389. 63Shrish: Yes, sir, in the bhava of the dasa a man is free from care. Everything rests upon the master. It is like a dog: it is very devoted to its mast…
  4390. 64He Who Is with Form Is the Formless Too—The Greatness of the Name
  4391. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Well, which do you like, God with form or the formless? You see, He who is formless, He it is who is with form. To the devotee's eyes…
  4392. 66"But see, the very One who has the formless aspect has the aspect with form."
  4393. 67Evening is about to fall; the Master has risen; now he will go back to Dakshineswar. He is standing on the raised verandah to the south of the sitting…
  4394. 68Ishan said, What! The seed of the aswattha is so very small, and yet within that very seed are great big trees! It takes time for that tree to be seen…
  4395. 69Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, yes, the fruit comes in time.
  4396. 70Ishan, the Unattached Householder—the State of the Paramahamsa
  4397. 71Ishan's house adjoins, on its east side, the house of his late father-in-law, Kshetranath Chatterji. There is a way for coming and going between the t…
  4398. 72The Master is saying to Ishan, "You live in the world just as the mud-fish lives. It stays in the mud of the pond, but no mud clings to its body.
  4399. 73"In this world of maya there are both vidya and avidya. Whom do I call a paramahamsa? One who, like the swan, though milk and water are together, can…
  4400. 74Chapter Three
  4401. 75Sri Ramakrishna's Harmony of Faiths—No Offence Touches the Ishvarakoti
  4402. 76It is evening. The Master has come to the house of the devotee Sri Ramchandra Datta. From here he will go on to Dakshineswar.
  4403. 77The Master is seated with the devotees, lighting up Ram's sitting-room. He is talking with Sri Mahendra Goswami. Goswami's house is in that very neigh…
  4404. 78Sri Ramakrishna: For Vaishnava and Sakta alike the place to be reached is one; but the paths are different. Real Vaishnavas do not speak ill of Sakti.
  4405. 79Goswami, smiling: Hara and Parvati are our father and mother.
  4406. 80Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Thank you; 'father and mother'.
  4407. 81Goswami: Besides that, to speak ill of anyone, above all to speak ill of a Vaishnava, is an offence. The offence against a Vaishnava. There is pardon…
  4408. 82Sri Ramakrishna: Offence does not come upon everyone. No offence touches the Ishvarakoti. As with an Avatar such as Chaitanyadeva.
  4409. 83"If the child holds on to his father and walks along the ridge between the fields, he may yet fall into the ditch. But if the father holds the child's…
  4410. 84"Listen, I had begged the Mother for pure devotion. I had said to the Mother, Here, take Your righteousness, here, take Your unrighteousness; give me…
  4411. 85Goswami: Yes, sir.
  4412. 86Sri Ramakrishna: You should bow to every faith, but there is one thing: steadfast devotion. You will salute them all, true, but to pour out your heart…
  4413. 87"No form but the form of Rama would please Hanuman.
  4414. 88"The gopis had such steadfastness that they would not look upon the turbaned Krishna of Dvaraka.
  4415. 89"A wife serves her husband's younger brother, his elder brother and the rest with water to wash their feet, with a seat and such things, but the servi…
  4416. 90Ram offered the Master some sweets and the like in worship.
  4417. 91The Master will now set out for Dakshineswar. He takes his woollen wrap and cap from Mani and puts them on. The woollen cap that covers the ears. The…
  4418. 1Section Nine
  4419. 2In the Temple at Dakshineswar with Rakhal and Other Devotees
  4420. 3Chapter One
  4421. 4In the Temple at Dakshineswar with Rakhal, Ram, Kedar and Other Devotees: Talk of Brahmajnana in the Company of a Vedantist Sadhu
  4422. 5Sri Ramakrishna is getting into the carriage: he will go to Kalighat for darshan. He will go by way of Sri Adhar Sen's house; Adhar too will go along…
  4423. 6The carriage is standing near the northern verandah of his room.
  4424. 7Mani has come and is standing near the door of the carriage.
  4425. 8Mani, to Sri Ramakrishna: Sir, shall I go?
  4426. 9Sri Ramakrishna: Why?
  4427. 10Mani: I would call once at my lodgings in Calcutta and come back.
  4428. 11Sri Ramakrishna, with concern: You will go again? You are getting on well here.
  4429. 12Mani will return home, for a few hours; but the Master does not consent.
  4430. 1Sunday, the thirtieth of December; the first day of the bright fortnight of Paush. It is three in the afternoon. Mani is walking alone under a tree—a…
  4431. 2Ram, Kedar and other devotees have come from Calcutta. With them a Vedantin sadhu has come. It was on the day the Master went to see Ram's garden, tha…
  4432. 3The Master is talking joyfully with the sadhu. He has seated the sadhu on the small wooden cot beside him. The conversation is going on in Hindi.
  4433. 4Sri Ramakrishna: How does all this strike you?
  4434. 5The Vedantin sadhu: All this is like a dream.
  4435. 6Sri Ramakrishna: Brahman is real, the world unreal? Well, sir, what is Brahman like?
  4436. 7The sadhu: Sound itself is Brahman. The unstruck sound.
  4437. 8Sri Ramakrishna: But, sir, there is One whom the sound makes known. Is it not so?
  4438. 9The sadhu: The thing named is That, the name is That.
  4439. 10'You alone, O Supreme Lord, are both the thing named and the word that names it.'—Adhyatma Ramayana.
  4440. 11As he listened to these words the Master went into samadhi. Motionless—he sits like a figure drawn in a picture. The sadhu and the devotees, wonderstr…
  4441. 12"Look here, sir. This is what is called samadhi."
  4442. 13The sadhu has read of samadhi only in books; samadhi he has never seen.
  4443. 14Little by little the Master is coming to himself and talking with the Mother of the Universe. He is saying—'Mother, I shall be all right—do not make m…
  4444. 15The sadhu is watching in wonder and listening to all these words. This time the Master is talking with the sadhu—he is saying—Now blow away the Soham.…
  4445. 16So long as I and you remain, so long the Mother too is there—come, let us rejoice with Her. Is this what the Master is saying?
  4446. 17After a spell of conversation the Master is walking about in the Panchavati—with him Ram, Kedar, M. and others.
  4447. 18Sri Ramakrishna's Teaching to Kedar—Renunciation of the World
  4448. 19Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: How did the sadhu seem to you?
  4449. 20Kedar: Dry knowledge! The pot has only just gone on the fire—the rice has not yet gone in!
  4450. 21Sri Ramakrishna: That is so, but he is a man of renunciation. He who has given up the world has gone a long way forward.
  4451. 22"The sadhu belongs to the class of the beginner. Unless one attains Him, nothing at all has come of it. When one grows drunk with His love, nothing el…
  4452. 23Keep the darling Mother Syama in your heart with care! O mind, you see Her, and I see Her, and may no one else see Her!
  4453. 24Matching the Master's bhava, Kedar is reciting a song—
  4454. 25Shall I tell what is in my heart, O friend? I am forbidden to tell— Unless there is one who feels for me, my life will not last. The one who is the ma…
  4455. 26The Master has come back to his own room. It has struck four—Mother Kali's shrine has been opened. The Master is going to Mother Kali's shrine, taking…
  4456. 27Entering the Kali temple, the Master bows down to the Mother, full of devotion. The sadhu too, with palms joined and head bent low, bowed down to the…
  4457. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Well, sir, what a darshan!
  4458. 29The sadhu, with devotion: Kali is the Supreme.
  4459. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Kali and Brahman are one, without difference. Is it not so, sir?
  4460. 31The sadhu: So long as one is turned outward, so long one must accept Kali. So long as one is turned outward, so long there is good and bad; so long th…
  4461. 32"Look here, name and form are all unreal, to be sure, but so long as I am turned outward, so long woman is to be given up. And for the sake of teachin…
  4462. 33Talking with the sadhu as he went, the Master came back to his room.
  4463. 34Sri Ramakrishna: You saw—the sadhu bowed down in the Kali temple!
  4464. 35Mani: Yes, sir.
  4465. 1The next day, Monday, the thirty-first of December. It must be about four o'clock. The Master is seated in his room with the devotees. Balaram, Mani,…
  4466. 2Talk of Knowledge on the Lips—The Story of the Master's Rebuke to Haladhari
  4467. 3"Haladhari had the bhava of a jnani. He used to read the Adhyatma, the Upanishads—all these—night and day. And yet at talk of God with form he would t…
  4468. 4Evening came. Balaram and other devotees had gone away to Calcutta. The Master was thinking of the Mother. After a while the very sweet sound of the a…
  4469. 5It is about eight o'clock at night. The Master, in bhava, is talking with the Mother in a very sweet voice, setting his words to a tune. Mani is seate…
  4470. 6Sri Ramakrishna and the Vedanta
  4471. 7The Master is uttering the sweet Name: "Hari Om! Hari Om! Hari Om! He is saying to the Mother: "O Mother! Don't give me Brahmajnana and keep me sensel…
  4472. 8Again he says: "I don't know the Vedanta, Mother! I don't want to know it, Mother! —Mother, when one has You, how far below lie the Vedas and the Veda…
  4473. 9"O Krishna! I shall say to you, Eat, dear—take it, dear—my child! O Krishna, I shall say, you have taken on a body and come for my sake, my child."
  4474. 1Chapter Two
  4475. 2Today is the fourth day of the bright fortnight of Paush, the second of January, 1884.
  4476. 3Sri Ramakrishna is living with the devotees in the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. These days Rakhal, Latu, Harish, Ramlal and M. are staying at Dakshine…
  4477. 4It is three in the afternoon. Mani is coming from the foot of the bel tree towards the Master's room to see him. Sri Ramakrishna is seated on the roun…
  4478. 5Mani came in and bowed down, touching the ground. The Master told him to sit near him. It seems that in the course of talking with the Tantrik devotee…
  4479. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to the Tantrik devotee: All these are parts of the Tantrik sadhana: drinking the nectar from a skull cup, and that nectar is called k…
  4480. 7The Tantrik: Yes, sir.
  4481. 8Sri Ramakrishna: Eleven cups, isn't it?
  4482. 9The Tantrik: Each the measure of three tolas. It is for the sadhana with a corpse.
  4483. 10Sri Ramakrishna: As for me, I can't so much as touch wine.
  4484. 11The Tantrik: Yours is the natural bliss, the sahajananda. When one has that bliss, one wants nothing else!
  4485. 12Sri Ramakrishna: And see, even japa and austerities have no appeal for me. But I am always remembering Him, always dwelling on Him. Well now, the six…
  4486. 13The Tantrik: Sir, they are like so many places of pilgrimage. In each chakra are Siva and Sakti; they cannot be seen with the eyes, and cutting will n…
  4487. 14Mani is listening to it all without a word. Looking at him, Sri Ramakrishna puts a question to the Tantrik devotee.
  4488. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to the Tantrik: Tell me, can one attain perfection without receiving the bija mantra?
  4489. 16The Tantrik: One can, through faith: faith in the guru's word.
  4490. 17Sri Ramakrishna, turning to Mani and making a sign to him: Faith.
  4491. 18The Tantrik devotee has gone, and Sri Jaygopal Sen of the Brahmo Samaj has come. Sri Ramakrishna is talking with him. Rakhal, Mani and other devotees…
  4492. 19Sri Ramakrishna, to Jaygopal: One must not hate anyone, or any creed. Those who hold God to be formless and those who hold Him to have form are all go…
  4493. 20Jaygopal: How am I to know that every path is true?
  4494. 21Sri Ramakrishna: If you can go rightly by one path, you reach Him. Then you come to know about all the paths. It is like this: once you have got up on…
  4495. 22"When His grace comes, the devotee can know everything. Once He is attained, you will be able to know everything. Somehow or other you have to meet th…
  4496. 23The Way to the Vision of God
  4497. 24Jaygopal: How does one win His grace?
  4498. 25Sri Ramakrishna: You must sing His name and glories always, and give up thinking of worldly things as far as you can. You are bringing water into your…
  4499. 26"When the mind is pure and attachment to worldly things has gone, longing will come, and your prayer will reach God. If something else is mixed into t…
  4500. 27"I used to weep alone in my longing, all by myself; I would weep, saying, 'Where is Narayana?' Weeping and weeping, I would fall unconscious: merged i…
  4501. 28"How is yoga reached? It comes when the telegraph wire has nothing else mixed in it and no hole. Give up attachment to worldly things altogether.
  4502. 29"Keep no desire, no craving at all. If there is desire and craving, it is called devotion with motive! Devotion free of desire is called ahetuki bhakt…
  4503. 30"The whole thing is this: to love Him. When the love is very great, one has His vision. The pull of the chaste wife towards her husband, the pull of t…
  4504. 31Jaygopal is a man of the world. Is that why Sri Ramakrishna is giving him all these teachings, suited to him in particular?
  4505. 1Chapter Two
  4506. 2The Path of Knowledge and Reasoning—Bhaktiyoga and the Knowledge of Brahman
  4507. 3Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in his room. It must be about eight o'clock at night. Today is the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Paush, Wednesday, t…
  4508. 4The Master has forbidden Mani to reason.
  4509. 5Sri Ramakrishna, to Rakhal: Too much reasoning is not good. First God, then the world—if you attain Him, you come to know about His world as well.
  4510. 6To Mani and Rakhal: "Once you have talked with Jadu Mallick, you can come to know how many houses he has, his gardens, his Company paper, all of it.
  4511. 7"That is why the rishis told Valmiki to repeat 'mara' 'mara'.
  4512. 8"There is some meaning in it; 'Ma' means God, 'ra' means the world—first God, and after that the world.
  4513. 9Talk with Krishnakishore of the 'Mara' Mantra
  4514. 10"Krishnakishore had said, 'Mara' 'mara' is a pure mantra—because a rishi gave it. 'Ma' means God, 'ra' means the world.
  4515. 11"So, first, like Valmiki, one must give up everything and, in solitude and in secret, with a yearning heart, weeping and weeping, call upon God. What…
  4516. 12The Master Weeping in the Road—'Mother, Strike the Reasoning Mind with a Thunderbolt'—1868
  4517. 13To Mani: "That is why I am telling you—reason no more. I was on my way up from the tamarisks to tell you that. If you reason too much, harm comes in t…
  4518. 14'Mother, strike the reasoning mind with a thunderbolt.
  4519. 15"Tell me, you won't (reason) any more?"
  4520. 16Mani: No, sir.
  4521. 17Sri Ramakrishna: It is in bhakti that everything is gained. If those who want the knowledge of Brahman keep to the road of bhakti, they will gain the…
  4522. 18"Where his grace is, can there be any want of knowledge? In those parts they measure out paddy, and the moment one heap runs out, a man at once pushes…
  4523. 19Padmalochan's Devotion to the Master—A Prayer at the Panchavati in the Days of Sadhana
  4524. 20"When one attains him, the pundits seem like straw and chaff. Padmalochan had said, 'I will go with you to a gathering at a Kaivarta's house, what of…
  4525. 21"By bhakti alone is everything gained. If one can love Him, there is no want of anything at all. Kartika and Ganesa were sitting by Bhagavati. Round H…
  4526. 22"Weeping and weeping, I had said to the Mother, 'Mother, make known to me what is in the Vedas and the Vedanta—make known to me what is in the Puranas…
  4527. 23"She has made everything known to me—she has shown me so many things.
  4528. 24The Master's Visions in the Days of Sadhana—Siva and Sakti, the Mound of Human Heads, the Guru at the Helm, the Ocean of Satchidananda
  4529. 25"One day She showed me: on every side, Siva and Sakti. The union of Siva and Sakti. In men, in living beings, in beasts, in trees, in creepers, within…
  4530. 26"Another day she showed me human heads piled in a mound!—piled like a mountain! Nothing else at all!—I, sitting alone in the midst of it!
  4531. 27"Another time she showed me the great ocean! I have become a salt doll and am going to measure it! Going to measure it, by the guru's grace I turned t…
  4532. 28Mani: Yes, sir.
  4533. 29Sri Ramakrishna: The guru at the helm. Then I see that I am one and you are one. Again I leapt down and became a fish. I saw that I was roaming in bli…
  4534. 30"These are secret things! What will you understand by reasoning? When she shows you, then everything is gained—there is no want of anything at all."
  4535. 1Chapter Three
  4536. 2Today is Friday, the fourth of January, 1884. At four in the afternoon Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in the Panchavati, his face lit with a smile. With h…
  4537. 3By and by Sri Ramakrishna has come back to his own room and sat down. Mani, Haripada, Rakhal and the other devotees are there too. Mani spends much of…
  4538. 4Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Do not reason any more. In the end it does harm. When you call on Him you must take up one attitude, one bhava: the bhava of…
  4539. 5"Mine is the attitude of a child. When Mayadevi sees that attitude she steps aside from the path, out of shame.
  4540. 6"The heroic attitude is very hard. The Saktas have it, and the Vaishnava Bauls. It is very difficult to stay steady in it. Then again there are the sh…
  4541. 7To Mani: "Which of them do you like?"
  4542. 8Mani: I like every one of them.
  4543. 9Sri Ramakrishna: In the state of perfection every attitude is pleasing. In that state there will be no trace of lust. The Vaishnava scriptures tell of…
  4544. 10"In that state one takes the attitude of Prakriti. One no longer feels oneself to be a man. Sanatana Goswami would not meet Mirabai because she was a…
  4545. 11After dusk Mani is again seated at Sri Ramakrishna's feet. News has come that Sri Keshab Sen's illness has grown worse. Talk of him leads to talk of t…
  4546. 12Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Tell me, is it only lecturing over there with them? Or is there meditation too? They call it upasana, I think.
  4547. 13"In the beginning Keshab thought a great deal about the Christian religion, about Christian doctrine. At that time, and before it, he was with Devendr…
  4548. 14Mani: If Keshab Babu had come here at the very start, he would not have been taken up with reforming society. Social work would not have kept him so o…
  4549. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Keshab now accepts Kali, Kali who is Spirit, the Primal Sakti. And, saying Mother, Mother, he sings Her name and glories.
  4550. 16"Well, will the Brahmo Samaj become something like that later on?"
  4551. 17Mani: The soil of this country is not like that. What is true is bound to come about some day.
  4552. 18Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, the Sanatana Dharma, what the rishis have spoken, that is what will remain. Still, the Brahmo Samaj will last in some small meas…
  4553. 19Some devotees had come from Calcutta in the afternoon. They sang many songs to the Master. One of the songs said: "Mother, You have put a red teat in…
  4554. 20Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: What a song they sang about the red teat!
  4555. 21Mani: Yes, sir. You had spoken to Keshab Sen about this red teat.
  4556. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Yes. And about the Chidakasa, the Sky of Consciousness. We used to talk about a great many other things too, and there was joy. There…
  4557. 1Chapter Three
  4558. 2Meditation under the Bel Tree in the Days of Sadhana, 1859-61; the Renunciation of Woman and Gold
  4559. 3Sri Ramakrishna's Journey to His Birthplace; Registering Raghuvir's Land, 1878-80
  4560. 4The Master has had his midday meal. It is about one o'clock. Saturday, the fifth of January. Today is Mani's twenty-third day in the company of the Lo…
  4561. 5Mani, his meal over, was in the nahabat when all at once he heard someone call him by name three or four times. Coming outside, he saw Sri Ramakrishna…
  4562. 6On the southern verandah the Master sits talking with Mani.
  4563. 7Sri Ramakrishna: How do you people meditate?—At the bel-tala I would have clear visions of many forms. One day I saw before me money, a shawl, an eart…
  4564. 8"The mind stayed at His lotus feet alone. A balance has its lower needle and its upper needle; the mind is that lower needle. There was constant dread…
  4565. 9"But without the renunciation of woman and gold it will not do. I had renounced three things: land, wife, money. *I had gone over to that part of the…
  4566. 10A monk must never take gold and such things. For a monk who looks on gold with desire becomes the slayer of a brahmin; a monk who touches gold with de…
  4567. 11"Without renunciation how can He be attained! If there is one thing and then another thing upon it, how will you get the other thing without first mov…
  4568. 12"One must call on Him without desire. Yet by going on with worship that seeks something, one comes to be free of desire. Dhruva practised austerities…
  4569. 13Compassion, Charity and Such, and Sri Ramakrishna; the Gift of Chaitanyadeva
  4570. 14"It is when sattva comes that He is attained.
  4571. 15"With worldly people, charity and such works are nearly always done with desire, and that is not good. Done without desire they are good, but to work…
  4572. 16"When you have seen Him face to face, will you pray to God, 'I shall make a number of tanks, roads, ghats, dispensaries, hospitals, all these; Lord, g…
  4573. 17"Then will one do no works of compassion at all, charity and the like?
  4574. 18"Not so. When you see grief and hardship before you, if you have money, you ought to give. The jnani says, 'Give, give, give this one something.' Othe…
  4575. 19"Great souls, pained by the sufferings of jivas, point out the path to Bhagavan. Sankaracharya kept the 'I of Knowledge' for the teaching of jivas.
  4576. 20"Greater than the gift of food is the gift of knowledge, the gift of bhakti. Chaitanyadeva gave out bhakti to all, down to the chandala. The pleasure…
  4577. 21Is There an Independent Will, Free Will? The Master's Conclusion
  4578. 22"He is doing everything. You may say that then people can commit sin. Not so: one who has truly come to feel 'God is the doer, I am not the doer' neve…
  4579. 23"What Englishmen call independent will, free will: that sense of independent will He Himself has given and keeps in place.
  4580. 24"In those who have not attained Him, had He not put that sense of independent will, sin would have grown. If He had not given them this awareness, tha…
  4581. 25"Those who have attained Him know that it is 'free will' only to look at: in truth He alone is the one who works the machine, and I the machine. He is…
  4582. 26Chapter Four
  4583. 27Sri Ramakrishna the Guru Weeps and Prays for His Devotees
  4584. 28It has struck four. In the hut at the Panchavati Sri Rakhal and one or two other devotees are listening to Mani singing kirtan:
  4585. 29Song: Out of the house a hundred times a danda, moment after moment, one comes.
  4586. 30Hearing the song, Rakhal has gone into bhava.
  4587. 31A little later Sri Ramakrishna has come to the Panchavati. With him are Baburam and Harish; and by degrees Rakhal and Mani.
  4588. 32Rakhal: He has sung kirtan beautifully today and given us joy.
  4589. 33Sri Ramakrishna, filled with bhava, is singing:
  4590. 34I live again, friend, hearing Krishna's name (in good words even the bad is good).
  4591. 35To Mani: "Sing songs like these: 'All the sakhis sat down together, (Rai was well just now). (The market has broken up, I suppose!)
  4592. 36Again he says, "That is all there is to it!—to live with bhakti and the devotees.
  4593. 37Sri Radha and Yasoda Converse; the Master's 'Own People'
  4594. 38"When Krishna had gone away to Mathura, Yasoda came to Srimati. Srimati was in meditation. Afterwards she said to Yasoda, 'I am the Primal Sakti; ask…
  4595. 39"But those who have become very ripe can do without the devotees too—sometimes they do not care for devotees. Whitewash cracks over pankha plasterwork…
  4596. 40Coming back from the Jhautala, the Master says again to Mani at the foot of the Panchavati, "You have a woman's voice: can you practise songs like thi…
  4597. 41Looking at Baburam, to Mani: "See, those who are one's own have become strangers: Ramlal and all the rest seem like someone else. Those who are strang…
  4598. 42Mani: Yes, sir.
  4599. 43Sadhana in the Panchavati before the Madness, 1857-58; Chitsakti and Chidatma
  4600. 44Sri Ramakrishna, looking at the Panchavati: In this Panchavati I used to sit—in time I went mad!—That too has passed! Kala itself is Brahman. She who…
  4601. 45So saying, the Master sings: 'Pondering what her bhava can be, my life is gone. She at whose name Kala is taken away, at whose feet lies Mahakala, why…
  4602. 46"Today is Saturday; go to Mother Kali's shrine.
  4603. 47Coming near the bakul tree, the Master says to Mani:
  4604. 48"Chidatma and Chitsakti. Chidatma is Purusha, Chitsakti is Prakriti. Chidatma is Sri Krishna, Chitsakti is Sri Radha. The devotees are, each one, a fo…
  4605. 49"The other devotees will live in the mood of a sakhi, or in the mood of a servant. This is the root of the matter."
  4606. 50After dusk the Master has gone to the Kali temple. Seeing Mani there, contemplating the Mother, the Master is pleased.
  4607. 51Weeping to the Mother of the Universe for the Devotees; the Devotees Blessed
  4608. 52The arati was over in all the temples. In his room the Master, seated on the wooden cot, is contemplating the Mother. Mani alone is sitting on the flo…
  4609. 53The Master has gone into samadhi.
  4610. 54After a while the samadhi is breaking. Now the bhava is at its full height: the Master is talking with the Mother. It is as a small child talks to its…
  4611. 55He spoke these words to the Mother in a chant; to hear them would melt a stone.
  4612. 56The Master is speaking with the Mother again:
  4613. 57"Mother, faith is what is needed. Away with this wretched reasoning!—the reasoning of seven splashes of cow's urine goes for one.—Faith is needed (fai…
  4614. 58"But Mother! What fault is it of theirs, after all!—What can they do! One has to go through reasoning once, after all!—See, the other day I said so mu…
  4615. 59The Master is praying to the Mother in a piteous voice choked with feeling, weeping as he prays. What a wonder! He is weeping to the Mother for the de…
  4616. 60"Mother, if You keep them in the world, then show Yourself to them every so often!—Otherwise how will they go on! If You do not show Yourself every so…
  4617. 61The Master is still in bhava. In that state he suddenly says to Mani, "Look, the reasoning you have done is plenty!—no more. Say it: you won't do any…
  4618. 62Mani, with folded hands, says: No, sir.
  4619. 63Sri Ramakrishna: It has been plenty!—The moment you first came, I told you, didn't I, which house you belong to.—I know everything, don't I?
  4620. 64Mani, with palms joined: Yes, sir.
  4621. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Which house you belong to, who you are, your inside and outside, your past, what will become of you hereafter: all this I know, don't…
  4622. 66Mani, with folded hands: Yes, sir.
  4623. 67Sri Ramakrishna: I had scolded you on hearing that a son had been born to you.—Now go and stay at home; let them feel as though you are their own. Wit…
  4624. 68Mani sits silent. The Master speaks again.
  4625. 69Sri Ramakrishna: And keep on loving terms with your father. Now that you have learnt to fly, won't you be able to bow down before your father with all…
  4626. 70Mani, with folded hands: Yes, sir.
  4627. 71Sri Ramakrishna: What more am I to tell you, you know everything, don't you?—You understand it all, don't you?
  4628. 72Mani sits silent.
  4629. 73The Master: You understand it all, don't you?
  4630. 74Mani: Yes, sir, I am understanding a little at a time.
  4631. 75Sri Ramakrishna: You do understand a good deal. Rakhal is staying here; his father is content with it.
  4632. 76Mani sits silent with folded hands. Sri Ramakrishna says again, "What you are thinking of, that too will come about."
  4633. 77The Joy of Kirtan with the Devotees; Ma and Janani; Why the Lila as Man?
  4634. 78The Master has now come back to himself. In the room are Rakhal and Ramlal. He asks Ramlal to sing. Ramlal sings:
  4635. 79Song: Whose woman is this, lighting up the field of battle!
  4636. 80Song: Who is this woman dancing in battle, dark as a rain cloud? Like a fresh lotus she seems to float on a lake of blood.
  4637. 81Sri Ramakrishna: Ma and Janani. She who exists as the universe, pervading all, She alone is Ma. Janani is she who is the place of birth. Saying Ma, Ma…
  4638. 82Gauri Pandit's Words; Kali and Sri Gauranga Are One
  4639. 83"Gauri had said that when Kali and Gauranga are felt to be one, then there is right knowledge. He who is Brahman is Himself Sakti, Kali. He, in human…
  4640. 84Is the Master saying, by a hint, that She who is the Primal Sakti has come as Sri Ramakrishna in human form? At the Master's bidding Sri Ramlal sings…
  4641. 85Song: Ah, what did I see in Kesava Bharati's hut, a light beyond all likeness, the form of Sri Gauranga, love pouring from both eyes in a hundred stre…
  4642. 86Song: The wave of Gaura's love has touched the body.
  4643. 87Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: He whose is the Nitya, His alone is the Lila. The Lila is for the devotee. Only when they can see Him in human form will the…
  4644. 88"For the love of the devotee He becomes a little one and comes to play His lila."
  4645. 1Section Ten
  4646. 2In the Temple at Dakshineswar with Rakhal, Latu, M., Mahima and Others
  4647. 3Chapter One
  4648. 4The Injury to Sri Ramakrishna's Arm: Samadhi, and Talk with the Mother of the Universe
  4649. 5The Master is staying in that same room in the temple at Dakshineswar. It is three in the afternoon. Saturday, the second of February, 1884 (the twent…
  4650. 6One day the Master, in a state of ecstasy, is going toward the tamarisk grove; with no one beside him, he falls near the railing. With that a bone of…
  4651. 7Rakhal, Mahimacharan, Hazra and other devotees are in the room. M. came in, prostrated himself on the ground, and saluted the Master's feet.
  4652. 8Sri Ramakrishna: Well now! Were you ill? You're well again now, aren't you?
  4653. 9M.: Yes, sir.
  4654. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: Tell me, 'I am the machine, You the operator'—then why has a thing like this happened?
  4655. 11The Master is sitting on the wooden couch. Mahimacharan is telling the story of his pilgrimage to the holy places. The Master is listening. The pilgri…
  4656. 12Mahimacharan: At Sikrol in Kasi I saw a brahmachari in a garden. He said, I have been in this garden twenty years. But whose garden it is I don't know…
  4657. 13On the bank of the Narmada I saw a sadhu repeating the Gayatri inwardly—and his body thrilled with rapture. And again, he would chant the Om and the G…
  4658. 14The Master has the nature of a child—he is hungry; he says to M., "Where is it? What have you brought?" Looking at Rakhal, the Master went into samadh…
  4659. 15The samadhi is breaking. To come back to the normal state the Master is saying, "I'll eat jilipi," "I'll drink water"!
  4660. 16The Master, with the nature of a child—is weeping and weeping as he says to the Mother of the Universe: Brahmamayi! Why have You done this to me? My a…
  4661. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to Rakhal: Though you are here to look after my body—you are not to blame—because even if you had been with me, you wouldn't have gon…
  4662. 18Sri Ramakrishna's Attitude of a Child: "To the Knowledge of Brahman, My Ten Million Salutations"
  4663. 19The Master went into ecstasy again. In that ecstasy he is saying—
  4664. 20"Om, Om, Om—Mother, what am I saying! Mother, don't make me senseless by giving me the Knowledge of Brahman—Mother, don't give me Brahmajnana. I am a…
  4665. 21Crying out loudly, "Anandamayi! Anandamayi!", the Master is weeping, and he says—
  4666. 22"This is the grief that grieves me (Syama): That while You are my Mother, there is theft in my house as I lie awake."
  4667. 23The Master is saying to the Mother again: "Have I done some wrong, Mother? Do I do anything, Mother?—It is You who do everything, Mother! I am the mac…
  4668. 24The Master is saying to the Mother again: "Mother, am I crying because I am hurt? No.—
  4669. 25"This is the grief that grieves me (Syama): That while You are my Mother, there is theft in my house as I lie awake."
  4670. 26Chapter Two
  4671. 27How to Call on God: "Be Full of Longing"
  4672. 28Sri Ramakrishna is laughing again like a child and talking—as a child, even when very ill, will laugh and play about now and again. He is talking with…
  4673. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Unless one attains Satchidananda, nothing at all has been gained, sir!
  4674. 30"There is nothing else like discrimination and dispassion.
  4675. 31"The love of worldly people lasts a moment—as long as water stays on a hot pan—seeing a flower, perhaps they say, Ah! What a wonderful creation of God…
  4676. 32"Longing is what is needed. When a son keeps pestering for his share of the property, the father and mother put their heads together and hand the boy…
  4677. 33The Master is teaching how one must call on the Mother: "I used to call on Her in this way, saying 'Mother': 'O Mother, Anandamayi!—You will have to s…
  4678. 34"Again, at times I would say—'O Lord of the lowly—Lord of the universe—I am not outside the universe, O Lord! I am without knowledge—without spiritual…
  4679. 35In a most piteous voice, intoning it, the Master is teaching how one must call on Him. Hearing that piteous voice the devotees' hearts are melting—Mah…
  4680. 36Looking at Mahimacharan, the Master is saying again—
  4681. 37Call, O mind, as calling should be done—and how can Syama stay away?
  4682. 38Chapter Three
  4683. 39The Devotees from Sivpur and the Power of Attorney, or Bakalma; Sri Madhu the Doctor
  4684. 40Devotees came from Sivpur. They have taken the trouble to come from so far away, and Sri Ramakrishna could not keep silent any longer. He is saying a…
  4685. 41Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees from Sivpur: God alone is true, and all the rest is passing. The owner and the garden. God and His splendour. People…
  4686. 42A devotee: Sir, what is the way?
  4687. 43Sri Ramakrishna: Discrimination between the real and the unreal. He is true and all the rest is passing—discriminate in this way always. Calling on Hi…
  4688. 44A devotee: But sir, where is the time?
  4689. 45Sri Ramakrishna: Those who have the time will meditate and worship.
  4690. 46"Those who cannot manage it at all will bow down twice a day, two salutations each time, with all their heart. He is the Indweller, after all—He under…
  4691. 47A devotee: Sir, seeing you and seeing God are one and the same.
  4692. 48Sri Ramakrishna: Don't say such a thing again. It is the Ganges that has the waves; the Ganges is not something belonging to a wave. 'I am such a grea…
  4693. 49Why the World? Longing after Enjoyment Is Done, and the Attainment of God
  4694. 50A devotee: Why has He kept us in the world?
  4695. 51Sri Ramakrishna: He has kept you there for the sake of creation. It is His will. It is His maya. He has kept you deluded with woman and gold.
  4696. 52A devotee: Why has He kept us deluded? Why, is it His will?
  4697. 53Sri Ramakrishna: If He once gives the bliss of God, then no one leads a worldly life any more, and creation, too, does not go on.
  4698. 54"In a rice warehouse the rice is kept inside great big bins. Lest the rats should find out where the rice is, the shopkeeper puts puffed rice and swee…
  4699. 55"But see, one seer of rice gives fourteen times as much puffed rice. How much greater is the bliss of God than the pleasure of woman and gold. When on…
  4700. 56A devotee: Why does no longing come to attain Him?
  4701. 57Sri Ramakrishna: Until enjoyment has run its course, longing does not come. Until one has had one's fill of whatever enjoyment of woman and gold there…
  4702. 58"Those who are ever-perfect do not have to enter the world. Their desire for enjoyment has been fulfilled from their very birth.
  4703. 59The Coming of Sri Madhu the Doctor: Sri Madhusudana and the Glory of the Name
  4704. 60It has struck five. Madhu the doctor has come. He is binding the splint and bandage on the Master's arm. The Master is laughing like a child. And he i…
  4705. 61Madhu, smiling: All I do is wear myself out carrying the burden of the name.
  4706. 62Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Why, is the name a small thing? He and His name are not different. When Satyabhama was weighing the Lord on the scales with…
  4707. 63Now the doctor will bind the splint on. A bed was made on the floor. The Master, laughing all the while, is coming down to the floor and lying down. I…
  4708. 64The devotees are sitting all around. The Master is singing again—"All the sakhis sat together—on the shore of the lake!" The Master is laughing too, a…
  4709. 65"I haven't much faith in the Calcutta doctors. Sambhu was delirious, and the doctor (Sarvadhikari) says, that's nothing, that's the intoxication of th…
  4710. 66The death of Sambhu Mallick was in 1877.
  4711. 67Chapter Four
  4712. 68Teaching to Mahimacharan
  4713. 69After dusk the arati was over in the temples. A little later Adhar came from Calcutta and prostrated himself before the Master. In the room are Mahima…
  4714. 70Adhar: How are you, sir?
  4715. 71Sri Ramakrishna, in a voice full of affection: Just look. See what has happened to my arm from the hurt. Smiling: I'm here—that's how I am!
  4716. 72Adhar is seated on the floor among the devotees. The Master says to him—"Do stroke this once with your hand"!
  4717. 73Adhar is sitting at the north end of the small cot and serving the Master's holy feet. The Master is talking again with Mahimacharan.
  4718. 74The Heart of It: Devotion without a Motive: "Know Your Own Real Nature"
  4719. 75Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: Devotion without a motive—if you can practise that, it will be very good.
  4720. 76"Liberation, honour, money, getting well of illness—I want none of it—I want You alone! That is called devotion without a motive. Many people come to…
  4721. 77"Prahlada's devotion without a motive—pure love for God, free of desire." Mahimacharan is sitting silent. The Master is saying to him again—"Well, I'l…
  4722. 78To Mahima: "According to Vedanta one has to know one's own real nature. But that does not happen unless one gives up the ego. The ego is like a stick—…
  4723. 79"When this ego goes away in samadhi, Brahman is known in one's own knowing."
  4724. 80Some of the devotees, perhaps, are thinking: has the Master attained the Knowledge of Brahman? And if he has, then why is he saying 'I', 'I'?
  4725. 81The Master is speaking again—"I" am Mahim Chakravarti—a learned man: this "I" has to be given up. There is no harm in the "I" of knowledge. Sankaracha…
  4726. 82"Unless one is very much on one's guard about women, the Knowledge of Brahman does not come. That is why it is hard in the world. However clever you m…
  4727. 83"But for a man of knowledge, going now and then to his own wife is no fault. It is like passing stool and urine—the passing of seed is just the same—t…
  4728. 84"A sweet made with half chhana, eaten now and then." Mahima laughed. "For a householder it is not so very wrong.
  4729. 85The Hard Rule for the Sannyasi, and Sri Ramakrishna
  4730. 86"For a sannyasi it is a grave fault. A sannyasi will not so much as look at a woman's portrait. For a sannyasi, a woman—that is spitting and then eati…
  4731. 87"A sannyasi will not sit with women and talk with them—let him be ever so great a devotee, let him have conquered his senses, still he will not conver…
  4732. 88"A sannyasi will give up both woman and gold—just as he will not so much as look at a woman's picture, so he will not touch gold—money. It is bad even…
  4733. 89"That is why, when the Marwari wanted to deposit money with Hriday, I said, 'That won't do either—the moment it is near, the cloud will rise.'
  4734. 90"Why this hard rule for the sannyasi? It is for his own good, certainly—and for teaching mankind. Even though a sannyasi is himself unattached—has con…
  4735. 91"When people see the sannyasi's renunciation, sixteen annas to the rupee, only then will they take heart! Only then will they try to give up woman and…
  4736. 92"If the sannyasi does not teach this renunciation, then who will!
  4737. 93Janaka and Others in the World after Attaining God; the Rishis and Pork
  4738. 94"Only after attaining Him can one live in the world. It is like taking out the butter and keeping it in water. Janaka lived in the world only after at…
  4739. 95"Janaka wielded two swords—the sword of knowledge and that of work too. The sannyasi gives up work. So he has only one sword—that of knowledge. A man…
  4740. 96"After the Knowledge of Brahman has been attained, even the rules about eating no longer remain. The rishis who knew Brahman, after the bliss of Brahm…
  4741. 97The Four Stages of Life, the Truth about Yoga, and Sri Ramakrishna
  4742. 98To Mahima: "Broadly speaking, yoga is of two kinds—karmayoga and manoyoga—union through work and union through the mind.
  4743. 99"Brahmacharya, garhasthya, vanaprastha and sannyasa—of these, in the first three one has to do work. The sannyasi has to carry the staff and water pot…
  4744. 100"In the paramahamsa state—like that of Sukadeva and others—all work falls away. Worship, japa, tarpana, the sandhya—all such work. In this state there…
  4745. 101Chapter Five
  4746. 102The Master Listens to Mahimacharan Reading the Scriptures, and Goes into Samadhi
  4747. 103In the course of the talk it has become eight o'clock at night. Sri Ramakrishna asked Mahimacharan to recite some hymns and the like from the scriptur…
  4748. 104"That which is the one Brahman, without parts, beyond space, stainless, Beyond all reasoning, unknowable, free of destruction and birth.
  4749. 105Then by degrees he is reading the seventh verse of the third chapter—
  4750. 106"Fire is the god of the twice-born; in the heart, the deity of the munis; The image, of those of little understanding; everywhere, of those who see al…
  4751. 107That is to say, the god of the brahmins is fire, the god of the munis is within the heart—for men of small understanding the image alone is god—and th…
  4752. 108The moment the words "everywhere, of those who see all alike" were uttered, the Master suddenly left his seat, stood up, and went into samadhi. That s…
  4753. 109After standing like this for a long time he came back to the normal state and took his seat again. Now he asked Mahimacharan to recite that verse on d…
  4754. 110If Hari is within and without, what need then of austerity? If Hari is not within and without, what use then of austerity? If Hari is worshipped, what…
  4755. 111Sri Ramakrishna: Ah! Ah!
  4756. 112The Pot and the Universe: You Alone Are Chidananda; Not I, Not I
  4757. 113Hearing the verses recited, the Master was going into ecstasy again! With an effort he held the bhava back. Now the Yati Panchaka is being read—
  4758. 114In whom this whole world of moving and unmoving things, conjured up like a magic show, shines as the play of the mind; That one Existence-Knowledge-Bl…
  4759. 115Hearing the words "that Kasi am I, whose form is my own awareness", the Master says with a smile—"What is in the pot is in the universe."
  4760. 116Now the Nirvana Shatkam is being read—
  4761. 117Om. Not mind, intellect, ego or heart-stuff am I; not the ear, nor the tongue, nor the nose, nor the eyes; Not space, nor earth, nor fire, nor air: I…
  4762. 118As often as Mahimacharan says—I am Siva, whose form is Knowledge and Bliss; I am Siva, so often the Master says with a smile—
  4763. 119"Not I! Not I!—You, You are Chidananda."
  4764. 120Having read something from the Jivanmukti Gita, Mahimacharan is reading the description of the six centres. He said that he himself had seen a yogi di…
  4765. 121Now he is describing the bhuchari and khechari mudras—and the Sambhavi vidya. Sambhavi—one goes here and there, with no aim in view.
  4766. 122A Memory of Earlier Days: The Master Listens to Sadhus Reading the Rama Gita
  4767. 123Mahima: There are very fine things in the Rama Gita.
  4768. 124Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: You keep on saying Rama Gita, Rama Gita—so you are a thoroughgoing Vedantist! The sadhus used to read so much here.
  4769. 125Mahimacharan is reading what the sound of the Pranava is like—"Unbroken as a stream of oil—like the long-drawn sound of a bell"! Then he is giving the…
  4770. 126"Full above, full below, full in the middle, the Self of all; Full everywhere—this is the Self: such is the mark of one in samadhi."
  4771. 127Adhar and Mahimacharan, one after the other, bowed down and took their leave.
  4772. 1Chapter Six
  4773. 2The State of Madness—Guilelessness and Truthful Speech
  4774. 3The next day, Sunday, the third of February, 1884 (the twenty-first of Magh, 1290 of the Bengali era). The seventh day of the bright fortnight of Magh…
  4775. 4Earlier Days—The Madness, Living at Janbazar—Guilelessness and Truthful Speech
  4776. 5Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: The Mother has kept me in such a state that there's no way of hiding anything. The state of a child!
  4777. 6"Rakhal doesn't understand my state. For fear someone may see it and speak ill, he puts a cloth over my body and covers up the broken arm. He took Doc…
  4778. 7"In the room where Sejo Babu and Sejo Ginni slept, I slept too! They cared for me exactly as if I were their child. At that time I was in a state of m…
  4779. 8"Sejo Ginni suspected Sejo Babu and had told him, if you go anywhere—Bhattacharya Mahasaya will go with you. He went to a certain place—he seated me d…
  4780. 9"One of the co-sharers of the Mar family used to send the fruit from the trees here, and the cabbages, to his house by cart. When the other co-sharers…
  4781. 1Section Eleven
  4782. 2In the Temple at Dakshineswar with Rakhal, M., Manilal and Others
  4783. 3Chapter One
  4784. 4Why Is the Master Impatient? Teaching to Mani Mallick
  4785. 5Sri Ramakrishna is taking a little rest after his midday meal. Mani Mallick is sitting on the floor. The Master's arm is still bound in a splint. M. c…
  4786. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What did you come by?
  4787. 7M.: Sir, I came by carriage as far as Alambazar, and from there I walked.
  4788. 8Manilal: Oh! He is all in a sweat.
  4789. 9Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That is why I think all this of mine is no whim! Otherwise would Englishmen go to such pains to come!
  4790. 10How the Master is keeping—there is talk of his broken arm.
  4791. 11Sri Ramakrishna: Over this I become impatient at times—I show it to one—then I show it to another—and I say, Tell me, will it get well? Rakhal gets cr…
  4792. 12"This impatience of mine, like a child's, is not a thing of today. I used to hold out my hand to Sejo Babu and say, Tell me, what illness have I got?
  4793. 13"Well then, where is steadfast faith in God?—When I was going to those parts, some men came up to the bullock cart with sticks in their hands like dac…
  4794. 14To M.: "Well, why am I so impatient?"
  4795. 15M.: You are always in samadhi—for the devotees' sake you have kept a little of the mind on the body, and so—for the body's protection you become impat…
  4796. 16Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, a little of the mind stays just on the body—and to live with bhakti and the devotees.
  4797. 17A Visit to the Exhibition Proposed—The Master Tells of Seeing the Zoo
  4798. 18Manilal Mallick is talking about the Exhibition.
  4799. 19Yasoda holding Krishna in her lap—a very beautiful image—hearing of it, tears have come into the Master's eyes. Hearing of Yasoda, the very image of a…
  4800. 20Manilal: You are unwell—otherwise you would have gone once and seen it—the exhibition on the Maidan.
  4801. 21Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and the others: If I went I could not see everything! At the sight of a single thing I should lose consciousness—there would be…
  4802. 22Mani Mallick is a Brahmajnani of long standing. He is about sixty-five years old. The Master is teaching him in Mani's own bhava, in the course of con…
  4803. 23Former Days—Seeing Pandit Jaynarayan—Gauri Pandit
  4804. 24Sri Ramakrishna: Jaynarayan Pandit was very large-hearted. I went and found his bhava a fine one. His sons wore boots—he himself said, I shall go to K…
  4805. 25Sri Ramakrishna had seen the pandit before 1869. Pandit Jaynarayan went to holy Kasi in 1869. He was born in 1804, and attained Kasi in 1873.
  4806. 26"When one is old it is good to leave the world like that and think of God. What do you say?"
  4807. 27Manilal: Yes; the bother of the world does not please me.
  4808. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Gauri used to worship his wife with handfuls of flowers. Every single woman is a form of Bhagavati.
  4809. 29To Manilal: "Tell them that story of yours, won't you."
  4810. 30Manilal, smiling: A few people were crossing the Ganges by boat. One pandit was making a great show of his learning. "I have studied many scriptures—t…
  4811. 31"The pandit is talking with pride and the man is sitting silent. Just then a fearful storm—the boat began to sink. The man said, 'Panditji, do you kno…
  4812. 32God Alone Is Real, All Else Unreal—Piercing the Target
  4813. 33Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What comes of knowing many scriptures! What is needed is to know how to get across the river of worldly existence. God alone…
  4814. 34"When the target was to be pierced, Dronacharya asked Arjuna, What all can you see?—These kings, can you see them? Arjuna said—'No'. 'Can you see me?—…
  4815. 35"He who sees only the bird's eye, he can pierce the target.
  4816. 36"He who sees only this, that God alone is the Real and all else is unreal, he is the clever one. What have we to do with other news? Hanuman said, I d…
  4817. 37To M.: "Buy a few fans for this place.
  4818. 38To Manilal: "Look, do go once to his (M.'s) father. Seeing a devotee will bring an awakening."
  4819. 39Chapter Two
  4820. 40Teaching to Sri Manilal and Others—The Naralila
  4821. 41Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on his own seat. Manilal and the other devotees, seated on the floor, are drinking the sweet nectar of the Master's words.
  4822. 42Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Since this arm was broken, a great change of state is coming about. The Naralila alone pleases me.
  4823. 43"The Nitya and the Lila. The Nitya—that indivisible Satchidananda.
  4824. 44"The Lila—the Lila of God, the Lila of the gods, the Lila of man, the Lila of the world.
  4825. 45Thou Art Satchidananda—Vaishnavcharan's Teaching—The Master Sees the Ramlila
  4826. 46"Vaishnavcharan used to say that only when there is faith in the Naralila will knowledge be full. I would not listen then. Now I see it is right. When…
  4827. 47To Manilal: "It is God Himself who has become man and is playing—He alone has become Mani Mallick. The Sikhs give the teaching—Thou art Satchidananda.
  4828. 48"At times, getting a sight of one's own real nature (Satchidananda), a man is struck with wonder and floats in bliss. It is as when one suddenly sees…
  4829. 49"In the Adhyatma (the Adhyatma Ramayana) that very thing is said. Narada is saying, O Rama, all the men there are, are you—it is Sita who has become a…
  4830. 50"Looking at those who had dressed up for the Ramlila, I felt that it was Narayana Himself who had taken the forms of all these people! The real and th…
  4831. 51"Why do they worship the Kumari? Every woman is one of the forms of Bhagavati. In a pure-souled maiden there is more of Bhagavati's manifestation.
  4832. 52Why the Master Is Impatient in Illness—The Master's State as a Child and as a Devotee
  4833. 53To M.: "Why I become impatient when I am ill: I have been kept in the nature of a child. A child's whole reliance is on its mother.
  4834. 54"The maidservant's son, quarrelling with the babu's son, says, I'll tell Mother.
  4835. 55Surendra Has the Photograph Taken at Radhabazar, 1881
  4836. 56"They had taken me to Radhabazar to have my picture taken. That day I was to go to Rajendra Mitra's house—I had heard that Keshab Sen and all the othe…
  4837. 57Former Days—Koar Singh—Ramlal's Mother—The Worship of the Kumari
  4838. 58"Mine is not the nature of a jnani. The jnani looks on himself as great—he says, Me, ill!
  4839. 59"Koar Singh said, 'You still have anxiety about the body.'
  4840. 60"This is my nature—my Mother knows everything. At Rajendra Mitra's house She will speak. That word alone is the word. In one ray of Sarasvati's knowle…
  4841. 61"I have been kept in the state of a devotee—in the state of a vijnani. That is why I joke and play the fool with Rakhal and the rest. Had I been kept…
  4842. 62"In this state I see that it is the Mother who has become everything! Everywhere I see Her!
  4843. 63"In the Kali temple I saw that it is the Mother who has become all—even the wicked—even the brother of the Bhagavata pandit.
  4844. 64"I went to scold Ramlal's mother, but I could not. I saw that she was one of Her own forms! Because I see the Mother within the maiden, I worship the…
  4845. 65"My wife (the devotees' Holy Mother) strokes my feet with her hand—and after that I in turn bow down.
  4846. 66"You all salute me by touching my feet with your hands—had Hriday been here, who would lay a hand on my feet!—he would let no one touch my feet.
  4847. 67"Because I have been kept in this state, I have to return the salutation.
  4848. 68"Look, there is no leaving out even the wicked.—Let the tulsi be dry, let it be small—it will serve in the worship of the deity."
  4849. 1Section Eight
  4850. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Dakshineswar Temple
  4851. 3Chapter One
  4852. 4In the Dakshineswar Temple with Narendra and Other Devotees
  4853. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the small cot in that same familiar room at the Kali temple, listening to singing. Sri Trailokya Sanyal of the Brahmo Sa…
  4854. 6Today is Sunday, the twentieth of Phalgun, the fifth lunar day of the bright fortnight, in the year 1290; the second of March 1884. The devotees are s…
  4855. 7Sri Narendra's father was a pleader in the High Court; since he passed away the family has fallen into great hardship. Things have come to such a pass…
  4856. 8The Master's body has not yet recovered since his arm was broken. For many days a bar had been kept on the arm.
  4857. 9Trailokya is singing songs of the Mother. In the song he says, Mother, take me in Your lap, cover me with the end of Your cloth and keep me at Your br…
  4858. 10Let me stay hidden in your lap (Mother). Gazing and gazing at your face, I call you Mother, Mother, Mother. Sunk in the bliss of Pure Consciousness, o…
  4859. 11As he goes on listening, the Master sheds tears of love. And he says, Ah! What bhava!
  4860. 12Trailokya sings again:
  4861. 13(Lopha) Hari, my remover of shame. (Look, O look, that the longing of my heart may be fulfilled). Who but you, O Lord, will guard the honour of the de…
  4862. 14Again shedding tears of love, the Master comes and sits on the floor. And he sings in the mood of Ramprasad:
  4863. 15'Fame and ill fame, bitter taste and sweet, every taste is yours alone. (O Mother) why, being in the delight yourself, do you break the delight, Queen…
  4864. 16The Master says to Trailokya, Ah, how you sing! Your singing rings exactly true. One who has gone to the sea brings the water of that sea and shows it…
  4865. 17Trailokya sings another song:
  4866. 18(Hari) You yourself dance, you yourself sing, you yourself play in time to the beat, Man is only Sakshigopal, the onlooker, crying in vain, Mine, mine…
  4867. 19The Absolute Identical with the Phenomenal World—The Union of Nitya and Lila—Full Knowledge, or Vijnana
  4868. 20The singing has come to an end. Now the Master speaks.
  4869. 21Sri Ramakrishna, to Trailokya and the other devotees: Hari alone is the One served, Hari alone the servant: this attitude is the mark of full knowledg…
  4870. 22"But someone may say, How has Satchidananda become so hard? Press this world and it feels very hard. The answer is this: blood and semen are such flui…
  4871. 23"Once you reach the indivisible Satchidananda, then you come down and see all this.
  4872. 24The World Is Not Apart from God—The Difference between the Yogi and the Bhakta
  4873. 25"It is He who has become everything. Nothing of the world is apart from Him. Ramachandra, studying the Vedas with his guru, was filled with dispassion…
  4874. 26"In the end all the elements dissolve into the element of akasa. And again, at the time of creation, from akasa comes mahat, from mahat ahamkara; in t…
  4875. 27"The yogi's path, though, is different. He reaches the Paramatman and does not return. He becomes united with that Paramatman.
  4876. 28"One who sees God within a small compass is called a partial knower: he thinks that beyond it God is not there!
  4877. 29"Devotees are of three classes. The lowest devotee says, 'There is God,' that is, he points to the sky. The middling devotee says that He is within th…
  4878. 30Doubt Goes When God Is Seen—Work Falls Away—The Cosmic Siva
  4879. 31"But when one sees him, all doubts go. Hearing is one thing, seeing another. Hearing does not bring full faith, sixteen annas to the rupee. When there…
  4880. 32"When God is seen, work falls away. That was how my worship came to an end. I used to perform the worship in the Kali temple. Suddenly I was shown tha…
  4881. 33"One day at the time of worship I was placing the vajra on Siva's head when I was shown: this cosmic form itself is Siva. Then the worship of a Siva I…
  4882. 34The Difference between the Taste of Poetry and the Vision of God—'Not Poetry, O Lord of the World'
  4883. 35Trailokya: Ah, how beautiful is God's handiwork.
  4884. 36Sri Ramakrishna: No, my dear, it was shown to me exactly, in a flash!—not by working it out. I was shown each flowering plant as if it were a bouquet,…
  4885. 37Why the Master Keeps His Body—The Master's Wishes
  4886. 38"The body is for two days; he alone is real; the body is here one moment and gone the next. Long ago, when I was suffering badly from a stomach compla…
  4887. 39"Why the wish to live? After Ravana was slain, Rama and Lakshmana entered Lanka, went to Ravana's house, and saw Ravana's mother Nikasha running away.…
  4888. 40"Without desire the body is not kept.
  4889. 41Smiling: "I had one or two wishes. I had said, Mother, grant me the company of those who have given up woman and gold; and I had said, I will keep com…
  4890. 42Trailokya, smiling: Has the wish been fulfilled?
  4891. 43Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "A little is still left." Everyone laughed.
  4892. 44"The body is for two days. When my arm broke I told the Mother, Mother, it is hurting badly! Then I was shown a carriage and its engineer. One or two…
  4893. 45"Then why do I take care of the body? I shall enjoy God; I shall sing His name and His glories, and go about looking upon His jnanis and bhaktas."
  4894. 46Chapter Two
  4895. 47With Narendra and Others—Narendra's Joys and Sorrows—The Joys and Sorrows of the Body
  4896. 48Narendra is sitting on the floor in front.
  4897. 49Sri Ramakrishna, to Trailokya and the devotees: Joy and sorrow of the body are bound to be. Look at Narendra—his father is dead, there is great hardsh…
  4898. 50Trailokya: Yes, sir, God will be merciful (to Narendra).
  4899. 51Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And when will it come! True, in Kasi no one goes hungry at Annapurna's house; but some have to sit and wait till evening.
  4900. 52"Hriday had said to Sambhu Mallick, Give me some money. Sambhu Mallick held English views; he said, Why should I go giving you money? You are able to…
  4901. 53Narendra and Atheism—The Ways of God, and Bhishma
  4902. 54As if hurt that God is not yet showing Narendra mercy, the Master says this. Now and again the Master casts a look of affection toward Narendra.
  4903. 55Narendra: I am reading the atheists' views.
  4904. 56Sri Ramakrishna: There are two, Is and Is-not; why not take the Is?
  4905. 57Surendra: God is just, surely; surely He will look after the devotee.
  4906. 58Sri Ramakrishna: It is in the law (the scriptures) that those who gave in charity in a former birth are the ones who have wealth! But do you know what…
  4907. 59'Nothing of God's ways can be understood. Bhishmadeva was lying on his bed of arrows; the Pandavas had come to see him. Krishna was with them. After t…
  4908. 60The Pure Self Alone Is Unmoved—Like Mount Sumeru
  4909. 61"He had shown me that the Paramatman, whom the Vedas call the Pure Self, He alone stands unmoved like Mount Sumeru, unattached, beyond joy and sorrow.…
  4910. 62Surendra, smiling: If giving in charity in a former birth is what brings wealth, then we ought to give in charity.
  4911. 63Sri Ramakrishna: One who has money ought to give. To Trailokya: Jaygopal Sen has money; he ought to give in charity. That he does not is a thing to be…
  4912. 64"The other day Jaygopal had come. He comes by carriage. A broken lantern on the carriage; a horse returned from the carcass-dump; a gatekeeper dischar…
  4913. 65Surendra: Jaygopal Babu is of the Brahmo Samaj. Now, I suppose, there are no such men in Keshab Babu's Brahmo Samaj. Vijay Goswami, Sivanath and other…
  4914. 66Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Govinda Adhikari would not keep good men in his yatra troupe, because he would have to give them a share." Everyone laughed…
  4915. 67"The other day I saw one of Keshab's disciples. A play was being given at Keshab's house. I saw him dancing with a child in his arms! And then I heard…
  4916. 68Trailokya sings: Waves of the bliss of love on the waters of the sea of Pure Consciousness and Bliss.
  4917. 69When the song is over, Sri Ramakrishna says to Trailokya, Sing that song, will you—Make me mad, Mother.
  4918. 1Section Fourteen
  4919. 2Chapter One
  4920. 3At Dakshineswar with Manilal and Other Devotees
  4921. 4Today is Sunday, the ninth of March, 1884. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in the temple at Dakshineswar with a good many devotees: Manilal Mallick, Mahend…
  4922. 5Sri Ramakrishna's arm is in splints. He fell near the railing and broke it; at the time he was lost in bhava. The arm has only lately been broken, and…
  4923. 6Yet even in this condition he is often in samadhi, and he speaks with the devotees of the deepest truths.
  4924. 7One day he was weeping with the pain when he passed into samadhi. Coming back to the normal state after the samadhi, he said to Mahimacharan and the o…
  4925. 8That same night Mahimacharan, Adhar, M. and others are again sitting with him.
  4926. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahimacharan: There is a kind of devotion called ahetuki bhakti, love that seeks no reward. See if you can practise that.
  4927. 10Then he says to Adhar, "Could you stroke this arm a little with your hand?"
  4928. 11Today is the ninth of March, 1884. Manilal Mallick and Bhavanath are talking about the Exhibition, which was held in 1883-84 near the Asiatic Museum.…
  4929. 12Sri Ramakrishna on Wealth and Splendour
  4930. 13Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to the devotees: Yes, a man gains a good deal by going. When you look at all those golden things, the things of kings and ma…
  4931. 14"God and His splendour. The splendour is for a couple of days; God alone is real. The magician and his magic! Everyone is struck dumb at the magic, bu…
  4932. 15Mani Mallick, to Sri Ramakrishna: And then what a great electric light they have put up! It makes us think: how great is the One who made the electric…
  4933. 16Sri Ramakrishna, to Manilal: Then again, one school holds that He Himself has become all this; and the one who says so, he too is He: God, maya, the j…
  4934. 17The talk turned to the Museum.
  4935. 18Sri Ramakrishna and the Company of the Holy; Pictures of Yogis
  4936. 19Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: I went to the Museum once. There they showed me bricks that had turned to stone, and animals that had turned to ston…
  4937. 20Mani Mallick, smiling: If you went there just once, sir, we would have teachings to last ten or fifteen years.
  4938. 21Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What, for illustrations?
  4939. 22Balaram: No; going here and there will not let the arm heal!
  4940. 23Sri Ramakrishna: I should like to have two pictures, if I can get them. One picture of a yogi sitting by a fire he has lit; another of a yogi drawing…
  4941. 24"Pictures like these quicken the spirit, just as seeing a custard-apple made of pith calls up the real custard-apple.
  4942. 25"But woman and gold is the obstacle to yoga. When the mind becomes pure, there is yoga. The mind dwells in the forehead (in the ajna chakra), but its…
  4943. 26"What practice gives the mind its upward gaze? By keeping holy company always, one comes to know everything.
  4944. 27"The rishis lived always either in solitude or in holy company. That is how they gave up woman and gold with ease and joined their minds to God: no fe…
  4945. 28"To renounce, you must pray to God for the strength of manly effort. Whatever you come to see as unreal, you give up that very moment.
  4946. 29"The rishis had this manly effort. By this manly effort the rishis conquered their senses.
  4947. 30"Once the tortoise has drawn its legs inside, it will not put them out though you cut it into four pieces!
  4948. 31"Worldly people are double-dealing; they are not guileless. They say with their lips that they love God, but out of all the pull they feel for worldly…
  4949. 32To Mani Mallick: "Give up double-dealing."
  4950. 33Manilal: With regard to men, or with regard to God?
  4951. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Every way. With regard to men as well, and with regard to God as well; one must never deal double.
  4952. 35"How guileless Bhavanath is! He came back from his wedding and said to me, 'Why do I feel so much tenderness for my wife?' Ah! He is so very simple!
  4953. 36"Well, won't a man love his wife? This is the world-bewitching maya of the Mother of the Universe. A man feels that there will never be anyone in the…
  4954. 37"What misery men suffer on account of this wife! And still they think there is no one else so near to them. What a wretched plight! Twenty rupees a mo…
  4955. 38"A wife who is a form of vidya is a true partner in dharma. She gives her husband special help in walking the path to God. After a child or two, husba…
  4956. 39The Worldly Devotee and the Devotee Who Renounces
  4957. 40"The love of God in worldly people is momentary, like water dropped on a hot frying-pan: it sizzles up, and the next moment it has dried away.
  4958. 41"The minds of worldly people are set on enjoyment; that is why that love and that longing do not come to them.
  4959. 42"There are three kinds of ekadasi fast. The first is the nirjala ekadasi, when one will not take even water. So is the fakir who renounces fully, givi…
  4960. 43"People practise sadhana and worship, but their minds stay on woman and gold, their minds stay on enjoyment, and so the sadhana and worship do not com…
  4961. 44"Hazra used to do a great deal of japa and austerity here, but at home he had wife, children and land and all that, so as a matter of course he does j…
  4962. 45"What is there people will not do for money! They can make a brahmin or a holy man carry their loads.
  4963. 46"The sweets might go bad, and still I could not give them to such people. I could take water from the jug other people use in the privy, but I would n…
  4964. 47"When Hazra saw men with money he would call them over and treat them to long, long talk; and he would tell them, 'Rakhal and the rest, all those you…
  4965. 48"I know that if a man lives in a mountain cave, smears his body with ashes, fasts, practises all kinds of austerity, but inwardly his mind is on world…
  4966. 49Pointing to Mani Mallick: "There are no pictures of holy men in his house. If one keeps pictures of holy men, God is called to mind."
  4967. 50Manilal: There are, sir. In Nandini's room there is a picture of a devout English lady. The lady is at prayer. And there is another picture: a man is…
  4968. 51"There is one more picture: some young girls are sitting up awake, their lamps filled with oil, because the bridegroom is coming. Whoever has fallen a…
  4969. 52The picture is of "Prayer", in Manilal's English word.
  4970. 53The picture is of the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
  4971. 54Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That one is fine.
  4972. 55Manilal: There are more pictures: the tree of faith! And a picture of sin and virtue.
  4973. 56The picture is of "Sin and Virtue", in Manilal's English words.
  4974. 57Sri Ramakrishna, to Bhavanath: They are all fine pictures; you must go and see them.
  4975. 58After a little while the Master says: "At times I think about it, and then those things do not appeal to me. At first one has to cry 'Sin, sin!' and a…
  4976. 59"It is like going along a winding river, reaching your destination with much toil and after a long time. But if there is a flood, you reach the place…
  4977. 60"In the first stage you must wander round a great deal and take a great deal of trouble.
  4978. 61"When raga-bhakti comes, it is very simple. It is like a field after the paddy has been cut: you can go across it in any direction. Before, you had to…
  4979. 62Sri Ramakrishna on the Yoga of Meditation and the Yoga of Vishnu; Meditation on the Formless and on God with Form
  4980. 63Manilal, to Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, sir, what is the rule for meditation? Where should one meditate?
  4981. 64Sri Ramakrishna: The heart is a place where the drum is beaten for all to hear. You may meditate in the heart, or in the sahasrara. These are the medi…
  4982. 65"When Narayana covered heaven, earth and the nether world in three strides before Bali, was any place left over? The bank of the Ganges is holy, and t…
  4983. 66"Meditation on the formless, meditation on God with form. Meditation on the formless is very hard. In that meditation everything you see and hear will…
  4984. 67"This is called Sivayoga. At the time of meditation the gaze must be kept on the forehead. Saying 'Not this, not this', one leaves the world behind an…
  4985. 68"Then there is another, Vishnuyoga. The gaze is on the tip of the nose; half on the world and half within. In meditation on God with form it is like t…
  4986. 69"Sometimes Siva dances in contemplation of God with form, dancing as he says, 'Rama, Rama!'"
  4987. 70Chapter Two
  4988. 71Manilal Mallick is a Brahmo of long standing. Bhavanath, Rakhal and M. used to go to the Brahmo Samaj now and then. Sri Ramakrishna is explaining Om,…
  4989. 72The Unstruck Sound and the Supreme Abode
  4990. 73Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Sound is Brahman. The rishis and munis practised austerities to attain that sound. When one is perfected, one hears…
  4991. 74"According to one school, what is gained by merely hearing the sound? You hear the roar of the waves from far away. If you follow that roar, you reach…
  4992. 75M.'s note: "Where sound dissolves." "The wise ever behold that supreme abode of Vishnu."
  4993. 76The Union of the Individual Soul and the Supreme Soul; Samadhi
  4994. 77"Suppose there is the sun and ten pots full of water, and the sun's reflection can be seen in each pot! At first you see one sun and ten reflected sun…
  4995. 78"At first the jiva lives in ignorance. It has no awareness of God; it is aware of many things, a great many things. When knowledge comes, it becomes a…
  4996. 79"Then again, when vijnana comes, both thorns are thrown away, the thorn of ignorance and the thorn of knowledge. Then one talks and converses with God…
  4997. 80"He who has only heard of milk is in ignorance; he who has seen milk has knowledge. He who has drunk milk and grown strong on it has vijnana."
  4998. 81Now, it seems, he is making the devotees understand his own state. Describing the state of the vijnani, he seems to be telling of his own.
  4999. 82Sri Ramakrishna's Own State, in His Own Words: The State after the Vision of God
  5000. 83Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: The jnani sadhu and the vijnani sadhu differ. The jnani sadhu has a way of sitting all his own. He sits twirling his…
  5001. 84"But the one who sees God all the time and talks with Him (the vijnani) has a nature all his own: now like something inert, now like a ghoul, now like…
  5002. 85"Sometimes he goes into samadhi and loses all outward consciousness; he becomes like something inert.
  5003. 86"He sees everything full of Brahman, and so he is like a ghoul: he has no sense of clean and unclean. He may be eating jujubes while he is easing hims…
  5004. 87"He has no sense of excrement and urine; all is Brahman. Even rice and dal kept for many days turn into something like excrement.
  5005. 88"Then again he is like a madman: seeing his ways, people take him for insane.
  5006. 89"And sometimes he is like a child: no fetters at all, no shame, disgust, shrinking and the rest.
  5007. 90"This is the state after the vision of God. It is like a ship passing close to a magnetic mountain: the ship's screws and nails come loose and fall ou…
  5008. 91"When the lightning struck Mother Kali's temple, I saw that the heads of the screws had been blown off.
  5009. 92"One who has seen God can no longer do the work of creation by begetting sons and daughters. If you plant paddy, a plant grows; but if you boil the pa…
  5010. 93"In one who has seen God, the 'I' remains in name only; no wrong can be done by that 'I'. It remains in name only, like the scar on a coconut tree whe…
  5011. 94The "I" after the Vision of God; Sri Ramakrishna and Keshab Sen
  5012. 95Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: I told Keshab Sen, 'Give up the "I", the "I" that says, "I am the doer, I am the one who teaches people."' Keshab re…
  5013. 96"'I am God's servant', 'I am God's devotee': these need not be given up. It is because the wicked 'I' is there that the 'I' of God does not remain.
  5014. 97"When there is a storekeeper, the master of the house does not take charge of the stores himself.
  5015. 98Sri Ramakrishna: The Divine Play in Human Form, and the Truth of the Incarnation
  5016. 99Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Look, since I hurt this arm my nature is being turned upside down. Now I am being shown God manifest more in men. It…
  5017. 100"He is manifest most in the pure devotee; that is why I long so for Narendra, Rakhal and the rest.
  5018. 101"At the edge of a pond there are little hollows, and that is where the fish and crabs come and gather. In the same way God is manifest most in man.
  5019. 102"There are men who are greater even than the Salagrama. Naranarayana, God in man.
  5020. 103"He comes down into an image; and will He not come down into a man?
  5021. 104"He comes down as an incarnation into a human being to play His play as man: Ramachandra, Sri Krishna, Chaitanyadeva. To think of the Incarnation is t…
  5022. 105Bhagavan Das, a Brahmo devotee, has come.
  5023. 106Sri Ramakrishna, to Bhagavan Das: The religion of the rishis is the Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion; it has been for endless time and will alway…
  5024. 1Section Twelve
  5025. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Dakshineswar temple with Rakhal, Ram, Nitya, Adhar, M., Mahima and other devotees
  5026. 3Chapter One
  5027. 4Why is Sri Ramakrishna impatient in illness? The state of the vijnani
  5028. 5After his midday meal Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with Rakhal, Ram and other devotees. He is not entirely well; his arm is still in its splint. Today i…
  5029. 6He is ill himself, and yet the Master has set up a market of joy. Devotees keep coming, group after group. All the time there is talk of God, and joy.…
  5030. 7Narendra's proposed marriage; Narendra a "party leader"
  5031. 8Ram: A match is being arranged between Narendra and R. Mitra's daughter. They have said they will give a great deal of money.
  5032. 9Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: He may well turn into a party leader of that sort, or some such thing. Whichever way he turns, he will stand out as somethin…
  5033. 10The Master did not let the talk of Narendra go on much further.
  5034. 11To Ram: "Tell me, why am I so impatient when I am ill? One moment I ask this one what will make me better, the next I ask that one.
  5035. 12"You see, either you must trust everybody or nobody at all.
  5036. 13"It is He who has become the doctor and the kaviraj. So one has to trust every healer. If you think of them as mere men, you cannot have faith.
  5037. 14Earlier Days: Sambhu Mallick's and Haladhari's Illnesses
  5038. 15"Sambhu was in a high fever and delirious. Sarvadhikari saw him and said it was the heat of the medicine.
  5039. 16"Haladhari showed his pulse, and the doctor told him, 'Show me your eyes. Aha! The spleen is enlarged.' Haladhari said, 'There's nothing wrong with an…
  5040. 17"Madhu the doctor's medicine is good."
  5041. 18Ram: Medicine does not cure. But it helps nature a good deal.
  5042. 19Sri Ramakrishna: If medicine does no good, why does opium stop the bowels?
  5043. 20About Keshab Sen; the Master's Name Printed in the Sulabh Samachar
  5044. 21Ram is speaking of Keshab's passing.
  5045. 22Ram: You were right, you know. When a gardener has a fine rose bush, a Bussorah rose, he lays it bare down to the roots so that it can take the dew an…
  5046. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Who knows, my dear? I never worked it out like that. It's you people who say so.
  5047. 24Ram: They had printed things about you (in the Sulabh Samachar).
  5048. 25Sri Ramakrishna: "Printed! What is this? Why print anything now? I eat, I drink, I live here; I know nothing else.
  5049. 26"I said to Keshab Sen, 'Why did you print it?' And he said, 'So that people will come to you.'
  5050. 27Men Are Taught by God's Power; Hanuman Singh's Wrestling Match
  5051. 28To Ram and the others: "Men cannot be taught by human power. Unless one has the power of God, ignorance cannot be overcome.
  5052. 29"Two men once had a wrestling match, Hanuman Singh and a Punjabi Mussulman. The Mussulman was very stout and strong. On the day of the match, and for…
  5053. 30"What good will printing and publishing do? The one who is to teach men will get his power from God. And unless a man has renounced, he cannot teach o…
  5054. 31His Boyhood; Hearing the Holy Men Read at the Lahas' House in Kamarpukur
  5055. 32"I am the greatest of fools." Everyone laughed.
  5056. 33A devotee: Then how do the Vedas and Vedanta, and so much else besides, pour out of your mouth?
  5057. 34Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "But in my boyhood the holy men used to read at the Lahas' (in Kamarpukur), and I could follow it. Still, a little here and…
  5058. 35Is Learning the Goal of Life? The Fool and the Grace of God
  5059. 36"To attain God is the goal of life. When Arjuna was about to pierce the target he said, 'I see nothing else now, only the bird's eye. I don't see the…
  5060. 37"Once He is attained, that is enough. What does it matter if I know no Sanskrit?
  5061. 38"His grace is on all His children, learned or foolish, whoever longs for Him. The father loves all his children alike.
  5062. 39"A father has five children. One or two can call him 'Baba'. Another calls him only 'Ba', and another 'Pa'; they can't say the whole word. Will the fa…
  5063. 40M.'s note, in his English: "See Maxmuller's Hibbert Lectures."
  5064. 41Sri Ramakrishna's Mind Turned to God's Play as Man
  5065. 42"Since I broke this arm, a change of state is coming over me. My mind is going very much towards God's play as man. It is He who has become man and is…
  5066. 43"He is worshipped in a clay image; and can He not be worshipped in man?
  5067. 44"A merchant's ship sank near Lanka, and he was washed up on the shore of Lanka. At Vibhishana's command the man was brought before him. 'Ah!' said Vib…
  5068. 45"When I first heard this story, I can't tell you what joy I felt.
  5069. 46Earlier Days: Vaishnavcharan; the Kartabhajas of Phului-Shyambazar
  5070. 47"When I asked Vaishnavcharan, he said that if you look on the one you love as your Ishta, your chosen ideal, the mind soon turns to God. 'Whom do you…
  5071. 48Ram: Kedar Babu went to the Kartabhajas, didn't he?
  5072. 49Sri Ramakrishna: "He gathers honey from five kinds of flowers."
  5073. 50"Haladhari's Father"; "My Father"; Ecstasy at Seeing the Cowherds Coming Home in Vrindavan
  5074. 51To Ram, Nityagopal and the others: "When one has full faith, sixteen annas in the rupee, that 'He alone is my Ishta', then one attains Him; one has Hi…
  5075. 52"People in the old days had great faith. What faith Haladhari's father had!
  5076. 53"He was on his way to his daughter's house. On the road he saw some wonderfully fine bel leaves, and he gathered them for the service of the deity and…
  5077. 54"Once a Rama play was being performed. Kaikeyi told Rama to go away into exile in the forest. Haladhari's father had gone to hear the play, and he spr…
  5078. 55"After his bath, when he stood in the water and meditated, saying 'Red of hue, four-faced' and the rest, tears would stream from his eyes!
  5079. 56"When my father walked along the road in his wooden sandals, the shopkeepers of the village would rise to their feet. They would say, 'There, he is co…
  5080. 57"When he bathed in the Haldarpukur, people did not dare go in to bathe. They would ask first, 'Has he finished his bath and gone?'
  5081. 58"He would say, 'Raghuvir! Raghuvir!' and his chest would turn red.
  5082. 59"The same thing used to happen to me. In Vrindavan, when I saw the cattle being brought home from the pasture, my body became like that in ecstasy.
  5083. 60"People had great faith in those days. Perhaps She is dancing in the form of Kali, and the sadhaka is clapping his hands! One hears of such things too…
  5084. 61The Hatha Yogi in the Panchavati
  5085. 62A hatha yogi has arrived and put up in the hut in the Panchavati. Krishnakishore of Ariadaha's son, Ramprasanna, and a few others are deeply devoted t…
  5086. 63The Master said to some of the devotees, "Go to the Panchavati and see the hatha yogi, and what sort of man he is."
  5087. 64Chapter Two
  5088. 65Teachings to Thakurdada and Mahimacharan
  5089. 66"Thakurdada" came with one or two friends and bowed before the Master. He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight and lived at Baranagore. The son of a…
  5090. 67Sri Ramakrishna: Have you walked here? Where is your home?
  5091. 68Thakurdada: Yes, sir. I live at Baranagore.
  5092. 69Sri Ramakrishna: What brought you here?
  5093. 70Thakurdada: Sir, I came to see you. I call on God, so why am I unsettled now and then? For a few days all goes well and I am full of joy; why is my mi…
  5094. 71The Craftsman; Faith in the Mantra; Devotion to Hari; the Two Signs of Knowledge
  5095. 72Sri Ramakrishna: I understand. It isn't fitting properly. The craftsman sets the teeth into each other, and then it works. Something is caught somewhe…
  5096. 73Thakurdada: Yes, sir, that is just the state I am in.
  5097. 74Sri Ramakrishna: Have you taken a mantra?
  5098. 75Thakurdada: Yes, sir, I have.
  5099. 76Sri Ramakrishna: Have you faith in the mantra?
  5100. 77Thakurdada's friend said, "He can sing very well."
  5101. 78The Master said, "Do sing us a song."
  5102. 79Thakurdada sang:
  5103. 80In the mountain cave of love I shall dwell as a yogi; by the spring of bliss I shall stay in yoga and meditation. Gathering the fruit of Truth, stilli…
  5104. 81Sri Ramakrishna: "Ah, a fine song! 'The spring of bliss!' 'The fruit of Truth!' 'I shall laugh and weep and dance and sing.'
  5105. 82"When such a song pleases you from within, what more do you want?
  5106. 83"If you live in the world, there will be happiness and sorrow, and a little unrest now and then. Live in a room full of soot and you are bound to get…
  5107. 84Thakurdada: Sir, then tell me what I should do now.
  5108. 85Sri Ramakrishna: "Clap your hands morning and evening and chant the name of Hari, saying 'Haribol, Haribol, Haribol'.
  5109. 86"Come again, once my arm is a little better.
  5110. 87Mahimacharan came in and bowed before the Master.
  5111. 88To Mahima: "Ah, he has sung a lovely song. Sing that song once more, won't you?"
  5112. 89Thakurdada sang "In the mountain cave of love" again.
  5113. 90When the song was over the Master said to Mahimacharan, "Now recite that verse of yours, the one about devotion to Hari."
  5114. 91Mahimacharan recited the verse from the Narada Pancharatra:
  5115. 92If Hari is within and without, what need of austerity? If Hari is not within and without, what use is austerity? If Hari is worshipped, what need of a…
  5116. 93Sri Ramakrishna: Say that one too: "Obtain, obtain devotion to Hari."
  5117. 94Mahimacharan recited:
  5118. 95Stop, stop, O brahmin! Why, my child, these austerities? Go, go quickly, O twice-born, to Sankara, the ocean of knowledge. Obtain, obtain devotion to…
  5119. 96Sri Ramakrishna: Sankara will give devotion to Hari.
  5120. 97Mahima: He who is free from the fetters is ever Siva.
  5121. 98Sri Ramakrishna: Shame, hatred, fear, shrinking: all these are fetters. Isn't that so?
  5122. 99Mahima: Yes, sir; and the wish to hide, and being embarrassed at praise.
  5123. 100Sri Ramakrishna: "There are two signs of knowledge. The first is a mind that stays like the anvil. Let a thousand sorrows, hardships, dangers and obst…
  5124. 101Intense, Feeble and Monkey Renunciation
  5125. 102To Thakurdada and the others: "Renunciation is of two kinds, intense renunciation and feeble renunciation. Feeble renunciation goes 'It'll happen, it'…
  5126. 103"One farmer has been toiling for days and days, and still the water from the pond won't come into his field! There's no resolve in his mind. Another,…
  5127. 104"A man's wife said to him, 'A great renunciation has come upon so-and-so, and nothing has come upon you! The man it has come upon has sixteen wives, a…
  5128. 105"The husband was going for his bath with his towel on his shoulder. He said, 'You silly woman! That man will never renounce. Can anyone renounce a lit…
  5129. 106"He didn't stop to put the house in order. Just as he was, with the towel on his shoulder, he left home and went away. That is called intense renuncia…
  5130. 107"There is another kind of renunciation, called monkey renunciation. A man burns in the fire of the world, puts on the ochre cloth and goes off to Kasi…
  5131. 108"There is always the misery of worldly life! The wife won't listen, the pay is twenty rupees, he can't give the child its rice ceremony, he can't affo…
  5132. 109"So when young men come here, I ask them, 'Who are the people in your family?'
  5133. 110To Mahima: "What need is there for you to give up the world? Holy men have such hardships! A man's wife told him, 'So you'll renounce the world, will…
  5134. 111"Searching and searching for an almshouse, a holy man ends up three kos away from the road. I have seen it: after the darshan of Jagannath a holy man…
  5135. 112"This is much better: fighting from inside a fort. Fighting out in the open field is very awkward. It's dangerous! The bullets and shells come right a…
  5136. 113"But you must go into solitude for a while and attain knowledge; then come back and live in the world. Janaka lived in the world after he had attained…
  5137. 114Mahimacharan: Sir, why are men infatuated with worldly things?
  5138. 115Sri Ramakrishna: "Because they live among worldly things without having attained God. Once they attain Him they are no longer infatuated. Once the rai…
  5139. 116Urdhvareta and Dhairyareta, and the Attainment of God; the Hard Rules of the Sannyasi
  5140. 117"To attain God one must conserve the seed.
  5141. 118"Sukadeva and those like him were urdhvaretas, men whose seed never fell. Then there is the man whose seed has fallen before, but who holds it from th…
  5142. 119"Loss of the seed means loss of strength. What goes out in a dream does no harm; that comes from the food one eats. Even after all that has gone out,…
  5143. 120"What remains at the end becomes very refined. At the Lahas' they had put away jars of molasses, with a small hole made in the bottom of each jar. A y…
  5144. 121"For the sannyasi, woman must be given up altogether. With you it has already happened; there's no harm in that for you.
  5145. 122"A sannyasi will not so much as look at a picture of a woman. Ordinary people can't manage that. Sa re ga ma pa dha ni: you cannot stay long on 'ni'.
  5146. 123"For a sannyasi the loss of the seed is very bad indeed. That is why they have to be careful. He must not set eyes on the form of a woman. If a woman…
  5147. 124"Even if a sannyasi has conquered his senses, he will not talk with women, not even to teach them. Even if a woman is a devotee he will not talk with…
  5148. 125"The sannyasi's is the waterless ekadasi. There are two other kinds of ekadasi: one on fruit and roots, and one on luchi and chhakka." Everyone laughe…
  5149. 126"And along with the luchi and chhakka, a couple of loaves soaking in milk!" Everyone laughed. The Master smiled. "You people can't keep the waterless…
  5150. 127Earlier Days: Krishnakishore's Ekadasi; Rajendra Mitra
  5151. 128"I saw Krishnakishore eat luchi and chhakka on an ekadasi. I said to Hriday, 'Hridu, I'd like to keep Krishnakishore's ekadasi.'" Everyone laughed. "S…
  5152. 129The few devotees who had gone to see the hatha yogi in the Panchavati returned. Sri Ramakrishna said to them, "Well, what did you think of him? You me…
  5153. 130The Master saw that the devotees, almost to a man, had no wish to give the hatha yogi money.
  5154. 131Sri Ramakrishna: "As soon as you have to give a holy man money, you don't like him any more.
  5155. 132"Rajendra Mitra, who draws eight hundred rupees a month, had been to see the Kumbha Mela at Prayag. I asked him, 'Tell me, what were the holy men like…
  5156. 133"But I think, if nobody gives holy men money, how are they to eat? Here nobody is asked for a fee, and that's why they all come. I think, 'Ah, they lo…
  5157. 134The Master is resting a little. A devotee sitting at the north end of the small bedstead is massaging his feet. Softly the Master says to him, "He who…
  5158. 135Chapter Three
  5159. 136Mahima's Learning; Mani Sen, Adhar, and Meetings
  5160. 137On the round verandah to the west the Master is talking about the hatha yogi with Mahima and others. Ramprasanna is the son of the devotee Krishnakish…
  5161. 138Sri Ramakrishna: "Ramprasanna just goes about like that, hither and thither. One day he came and sat down here. Not a word would he say; he did pranay…
  5162. 139To Mahima: "I have been asked to tell you about that hatha yogi. His expenses are six and a half annas a day. And on the other hand, he won't speak fo…
  5163. 140Mahima: "And if he did, who would listen?" The Master and everyone laughed.
  5164. 141The Master has come into the room and is sitting in his own place. Sri Mani Sen (whose family has the temple at Panihati) has come with one or two fri…
  5165. 142The Master was taking Dr. Pratap Mazumdar's medicine. Mani Babu's companion, the doctor, did not approve of his treatment. The Master said to him, "He…
  5166. 143Just then Latu called out loudly that a bottle had fallen and broken.
  5167. 144Mani (Sen), hearing the talk of the hatha yogi, said, "What do they mean by a hatha yogi? 'Hatha' means hot, doesn't it?"
  5168. 145Later the Master said to the devotees about Mani Sen's doctor, "I know him. I once said to Jadu Mallick, 'This doctor of yours is a dolt, even thicker…
  5169. 146A Talk Alone with M.
  5170. 147It is not yet dusk. The Master, sitting in his own place, is talking with M., who sits on the mat beside the bedstead, facing west. Meanwhile, on the…
  5171. 148Adhar came in, bowed before the Master, and sat down beside M.
  5172. 149Sri Adhar Sen is a deputy magistrate, about thirty years old. For a long time now, after a whole day of hard work at the office, he has come to the Ma…
  5173. 150Sri Ramakrishna: Well, why haven't you come all this time?
  5174. 151Adhar: Sir, I've been caught up in a great deal of work. I had to go to meetings about the school, and other meetings as well.
  5175. 152Sri Ramakrishna: With your meetings and your school you had forgotten all about this place.
  5176. 153Adhar, humbly: Sir, everything else had been pushed aside. How is your arm?
  5177. 154Sri Ramakrishna: Look, it still hasn't healed. I've been taking Pratap's medicine.
  5178. 155A little later the Master suddenly said to Adhar, "See, all these things are transitory: meetings, school, office, all transitory. God alone is real;…
  5179. 156Adhar sat silent.
  5180. 157"All this is transitory. The body is here one moment and gone the next. You must call on Him quickly.
  5181. 158M.'s note: Adhar passed away only a few months later.
  5182. 159"You need not give up everything. Live in the world like the tortoise. The tortoise itself goes about feeding in the water, but it keeps its eggs on t…
  5183. 160"The Captain's nature has become very fine. When he sits down to worship he is just like a rishi! He waves the camphor light and recites beautiful hym…
  5184. 161A little later Adhar said very humbly:
  5185. 162"It is a long time since you came to our house. The drawing room had begun to smell musty, and everything seemed dark!"
  5186. 163At these words of the devotee the Master's ocean of love seemed to surge up. He suddenly stood up and, in ecstasy, touched the heads and hearts of Adh…
  5187. 164Now Mahimacharan came into the room and sat down.
  5188. 165Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: "What you were saying a while ago about the dhairyareta is right. Unless one conserves the seed, one cannot hold on to all…
  5189. 166"Someone said to Chaitanyadeva, 'You give them (the devotees) so much teaching; why aren't they making better progress?' He said, 'They squander it al…
  5190. 167Mahima and the other devotees sat silent. After a while Mahimacharan said, "Please pray to God on our behalf, so that we may have that strength."
  5191. 168Sri Ramakrishna: Be careful even now! It's true that water in the month of Asharh is hard to hold back. But a lot of the water has already run out! Ev…
  5192. 1Section Thirteen
  5193. 2At Dakshineswar with Prankrishna, M. and other devotees
  5194. 3Chapter One
  5195. 4Sri Ramakrishna with Prankrishna, M., Ram, Girindra and Gopal
  5196. 5Today is Saturday, the twenty-fourth of Chaitra, 5 April 1884 by the English calendar, eight o'clock in the morning. M. arrives at Dakshineswar and fi…
  5197. 6Prankrishna came of the Mukherji family of Janai. His house was at Syampukur in Calcutta. He was the manager of an auction house of Mackenzie Lyall's…
  5198. 7When M. arrived he found that they had got there a little before him and were in holy conversation with the Master. He prostrated himself before the M…
  5199. 8The doctrine of the Avatar: Humanity and Divinity of Incarnations
  5200. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to Prankrishna: But in man He is manifest more than anywhere else. You may ask how there can be an Incarnation in one who has hunger…
  5201. 10"Look at Ramachandra: He was overcome with grief for Sita and wept. Again, to slay Hiranyaksha He became the Boar Incarnation. Hiranyaksha was slain,…
  5202. 11Prankrishna, to the Master: Sir, what is this anahata sound?
  5203. 12Sri Ramakrishna: The anahata sound is going on all the time, of itself. It is the Pranava sounding! It comes from the Supreme Brahman, and yogis can h…
  5204. 13Keshab Sen's question about the next world
  5205. 14Prankrishna: Sir, what is the next world like?
  5206. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Keshab Sen asked me that very question. So long as a man remains in ignorance, that is, until God is realized, he has to be born agai…
  5207. 16"The potters put their pots out in the sun to dry. Haven't you seen that some of them are baked and some are still unbaked? When cattle and the like g…
  5208. 17"What comes of planting paddy that has been boiled? No plant grows from it any more. Just so, when a man has been boiled in the fire of knowledge, not…
  5209. 18Vedanta and the ego; Vedanta and 'the Witness of the three states'; jnana and vijnana
  5210. 19"According to the Puranas the devotee is one and God is another; I am one, You are another. The body is like a clay dish, and in it is water: the mind…
  5211. 20"According to Vedanta (the philosophy of Vedanta), Brahman alone is real, and everything else is maya, like a dream, unreal. The ego is like a stick l…
  5212. 21"Still, for the teaching of mankind, Sankaracharya kept 'the ego of Knowledge'.
  5213. 22To Prankrishna: "But there are signs by which the jnani is known. Some people think, 'I have become a jnani.' What are the signs of a jnani? A jnani c…
  5214. 23"Seen from far off, a burnt rope looks exactly like a length of rope lying there. But come close and blow on it, and it all flies away. His anger is o…
  5215. 24"A child's attachment does not hold. He builds himself a play-house, and should anyone lay a hand on it he will dance up and down and start to cry. An…
  5216. 25"These are the signs of a jnani. He may have great riches at home, couches, chairs, pictures, carriages and horses; and then he will leave it all and…
  5217. 26"In the Vedanta view even the waking state is nothing. A woodcutter once had a dream. A man woke him up, and he was annoyed and burst out, 'Why did yo…
  5218. 27Prankrishna is always talking of jnana, and so, it seems, the Master was describing the state of the jnani. Now he speaks of the state of the vijnani.…
  5219. 28Sri Ramakrishna: To reach the Atman by saying "Not this, not this" is called jnana. Reasoning "Not this, not this", a man passes into samadhi, and the…
  5220. 29"Vijnana means to know in a special way, fully. Of milk, one man has only heard, another has seen it, and a third has drunk it. The man who has only h…
  5221. 30"First one has to say 'Not this, not this'! He is not the five elements; He is not the senses; He is not the mind, the intellect or the ego; He is bey…
  5222. 31Can a householder attain vijnana? Spiritual practice is needed
  5223. 32"Once vijnana comes, a man may live in the world too. He then feels plainly that it is God who has become the universe and its creatures, that He is n…
  5224. 33"Spiritual practice is needed. Know this: attachment to women comes very easily. Woman by nature loves man, and man by nature loves woman; so both fal…
  5225. 34"But then, in the world there is this great convenience too: when the need is really pressing, a man may live with his own wife." Then, smiling: "M.,…
  5226. 35M., to himself: "The Master gives this much permission because worldly people will not be able to give up everything at once. Is it altogether impossi…
  5227. 36A hathayogi had been staying for some days in the Panchavati. He took only milk and opium and practised hatha yoga; rice and such he did not eat. He h…
  5228. 37The hathayogi, to the Master: What was it you told Rakhal?
  5229. 38Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, I said I would see whether some gentleman would give something. But where is it?" Then, to Prankrishna and the others: "You don…
  5230. 39Prankrishna sat silent. The hathayogi went away.
  5231. 40The Master went on talking.
  5232. 41Chapter Two
  5233. 42Sri Ramakrishna and truthfulness; have faith in the divine play in human form
  5234. 43Sri Ramakrishna, to Prankrishna and the other devotees: "Then again, if you would live in the world you must hold very firmly to truthfulness. It is b…
  5235. 44"Now my hold has slackened a little. I don't feel the call of nature, but I have said I will go, so what's to be done? I asked Ram. He said there was…
  5236. 45This is Ram Chatterji, who served Sri Sri Radhakanta in the temple garden.
  5237. 46Earlier Days: Vaishnavcharan's teaching; have faith in the divine play in human form
  5238. 47"Now I see that again a state is changing. Long ago Vaishnavcharan told me that when one sees God in man, one's knowledge will be complete. Now I see…
  5239. 48"Now the thought comes, how can I feed everyone? I want to feed everybody. So I keep one person here and feed him."
  5240. 49Prankrishna, looking at M. and smiling: "What a man!" Then, to Sri Ramakrishna: "Sir, he would not let us alone till he had got out of the boat."
  5241. 50Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: What happened?
  5242. 51Prankrishna: "He got into the boat. Then he saw a few waves and said, 'Put me ashore.'" Then, to M.: "How did you come?"
  5243. 52M., smiling: "On foot." The Master began to laugh.
  5244. 53It is hard for worldly men to give up worldly work; the pandit and discrimination
  5245. 54Prankrishna, to the Master: "Sir, I am now minded to give up my work. When one has to work, nothing else gets done." Pointing to the gentleman with hi…
  5246. 55Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, it is a great entanglement. It would be very good now to think on God in solitude for some days. But you say you will give it up…
  5247. 56"There are many pandits who talk a great deal about knowledge. It is all in the mouth; in deed it is nothing at all. Like the vulture: it soars very h…
  5248. 57Prankrishna bowed and took his leave, and said to M., "Are you coming?" M. said, "No, you go on." Prankrishna laughed and said, "As if you would come!…
  5249. 58M. walked for a while near the Panchavati and then bathed at the ghat where the Master used to bathe. After that he had the darshan of Bhavatarini and…
  5250. 59M. is looking at Bhavatarini. He sees: in Her two left hands a severed human head and a sword, Her two right hands making the gestures that grant boon…
  5251. 60M. is remembering the Master's explanation of this. And he is thinking: I have heard that Keshab Sen came to accept Kali through the Master. Is this "…
  5252. 61The man in samadhi (Sri Ramakrishna) keeps watch on a water pot
  5253. 62Now M. came to the Master and sat down. Seeing that he had bathed, the Master gave him fruit and sweets, prasad, to eat.
  5254. 63He sat on the semicircular verandah and took the prasad. His pot of drinking water was left on the verandah. He came back to the Master in a hurry and…
  5255. 64M.: Yes, sir, I'll bring it.
  5256. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Well done!
  5257. 66M. felt abashed. He went to the verandah and put the water pot inside the room.
  5258. 67M.'s home was in Calcutta. Because of unhappiness at home he had rented a house at Syampukur and was living there. His place of work was close to that…
  5259. 68Sri Ramakrishna: Well, will you go home now?
  5260. 69M.: I can't bring my mind on any account to enter that house.
  5261. 70Sri Ramakrishna: Why? Your father is pulling the house down and rebuilding it.
  5262. 71M.: I have suffered a great deal in that house. I can't bring myself on any account to go.
  5263. 72Sri Ramakrishna: Whom are you afraid of?
  5264. 73M.: All of them.
  5265. 74Sri Ramakrishna, gravely: That is just like your fear of getting into a boat!
  5266. 75The food offering to the deities was over. The arati was being performed, with the clang of gongs and bells. The Kali temple was filled with joy. Hear…
  5267. 76Chapter Three
  5268. 77Sri Keshab Chandra Sen and the "New Dispensation"; there is substance in the New Dispensation
  5269. 78After taking his meal the Master was resting a little. Just then Ram, Girindra and a few other devotees arrived. The devotees prostrated themselves be…
  5270. 79The talk turned to the New Dispensation of Keshab Chandra Sen.
  5271. 80Ram, to the Master: Sir, I don't feel that I have been helped in any way by the New Dispensation. If Keshab Babu was genuine, why are his disciples in…
  5272. 81Sri Ramakrishna: There is some substance in it, of course. Otherwise why do so many people honour Keshab? Why does nobody know Sivanath? Without the w…
  5273. 82"But unless a man renounces the world he cannot do the work of a teacher; people will not accept him. People say: 'This is a worldly man. He enjoys wo…
  5274. 83Ram: "Keshab Sen got that bedstead and the house when the property was divided; that was Keshab Sen's share. Sir, say what you like, but Vijay Babu ha…
  5275. 84Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "Who knows, my dear fellow? But I don't know what New Dispensation means!" Everyone laughed.
  5276. 85Ram: Keshab's disciples say that Keshab Babu was the first to harmonize knowledge and devotion.
  5277. 86Sri Ramakrishna, astonished: What is this! Then what about the Adhyatma (Ramayana)? Narada began to sing Ramachandra's praises: "O Rama! The Supreme B…
  5278. 87The talk turned to Keshab's disciple Amrita.
  5279. 88Ram: Amrita Babu has become a sorry sight!
  5280. 89Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, I saw him the other day; he looked very thin.
  5281. 90Ram: "Sir! Just listen to their lectures. When the drum sounds, they shout 'Victory to Keshab!' You say, don't you, that 'dal' gathers in a stagnant p…
  5282. 91Sri Ramakrishna: What is this! Shame! Shame! Shame! What a lecture!
  5283. 92The talk came round to how some people rather like a little praise.
  5284. 93Sri Ramakrishna: They were playing Nimai's Sannyas, and they took me to Keshab's place to see it. That day I saw someone say of Keshab and Pratap, "Th…
  5285. 94Ram: Keshab used to say at times that you were John the Baptist.
  5286. 95A devotee: But then at other times he would say the Chaitanya of the Nineteenth Century was you.
  5287. 96Sri Ramakrishna: What does that mean?
  5288. 97The devotee: That in this English century Chaitanya has come again, and that is you.
  5289. 98Sri Ramakrishna, absent-mindedly: That's all very well. Now tell me, how can this arm get well? All I think about now is how my arm is going to heal!
  5290. 99A few days earlier Sri Ramakrishna had fallen and broken his arm. It had to be kept bound with splints for many days, and it was still bound then.
  5291. 100The talk turned to Trailokya's songs. Trailokya sings the names and glories of God in Keshab's Samaj.
  5292. 101Sri Ramakrishna: Ah! What songs Trailokya sings!
  5293. 102Ram: What, are they all quite genuine?
  5294. 103Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, quite genuine; otherwise why would they draw the mind so?
  5295. 104Ram: He has made all the songs out of your moods. At worship Keshab Sen used to describe all those moods, and Trailokya Babu would make songs on them.…
  5296. 105"In the market of love, a fair of joy. With Hari's devotees, in delight and play, what sports He makes!
  5297. 106"It was from watching you rejoice with the devotees that all those songs were made."
  5298. 107Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Don't plague me any more. * * * Why drag me into it?" Everyone laughed.
  5299. 108Girindra: The Brahmos say that the Paramahamsa has no faculty of organisation.
  5300. 109Sri Ramakrishna: What does that mean?
  5301. 110M.: "That you don't know how to run a party, that you have little intelligence. That is what they say." Everyone laughed.
  5302. 111Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram: "Now tell me, why did my arm break? Stand up and give a lecture on that." Everyone laughed.
  5303. 112Teaching on sectarianism to the Brahmo Samaj, the Vaishnavas and the Saktas
  5304. 113"The Brahmajnanis keep saying 'formless, formless'. What of it? It is enough to call on Him sincerely. If one is sincere, He is the Indweller; He will…
  5305. 114"But this is not good: to claim that only what we have understood is right, and that all anyone else says is wrong. 'We say He is formless, therefore…
  5306. 115"Just so there is rivalry among Vaishnavas and Saktas. The Vaishnava says, 'My Kesava'; the Sakta says, 'My Bhagavati is the only Saviour.'
  5307. 116"I once took Vaishnavcharan to Sejo Babu. Vaishnavcharan was a vairagi, very learned, but a bigoted Vaishnava. Sejo Babu, for his part, was a devotee…
  5308. 117"Everywhere I look I see people quarrelling in the name of religion, this one with that one and that one with another. Hindus, Muslims, Brahmajnanis,…
  5309. 118"The thing is one; the names differ. Everyone is seeking the same thing. Only the place differs, the vessel differs, the name differs. A pond has many…
  5310. 119"If someone says, 'No, this stuff is not jal, it is pani,' or 'It isn't pani, it is water,' or 'It isn't water, it is jal,' that would be laughable. Y…
  5311. 120"The Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras: all the scriptures seek Him and no one else, that one Satchidananda. He whom the Vedas call 'Satchidananda Brahm…
  5312. 121Sri Ramakrishna heard that Ram sometimes cooked his own meals at home.
  5313. 122Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Do you cook your own food too?
  5314. 123Mani: No, sir.
  5315. 124Sri Ramakrishna: Try it; eat it with a little cow's ghee. You will feel your body and mind quite pure.
  5316. 125Chapter Four
  5317. 126"The father is dharma, the father is heaven, the father is the highest austerity"
  5318. 127There is much talk of Ram's household affairs. Ram's father is a devout Vaishnava. In the house there is the worship of Sridhar. Ram's father had take…
  5319. 128Ram: My father has gone to the dogs!
  5320. 129Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Did you hear that? His father has gone to the dogs! And he himself is all right!
  5321. 130Ram: The moment she (my stepmother) comes into the house, there is no peace! There is bound to be one row or another. Our household falls to pieces. S…
  5322. 131Girindra, to Ram: "Why don't you keep your wife at her father's house in the same way?" Everyone laughed.
  5323. 132Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What, are they pots and pitchers? The pot kept here and its lid kept there? Siva on one side and Sakti on the other!
  5324. 133Ram: Sir, we are happy as we are; if she comes, the household will break up. In such a case—
  5325. 134Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, well, you could set up a separate house for her; that is one thing. You would pay all her expenses month by month. How great a g…
  5326. 135"But there is one thing: those who are good never give their leavings to anyone. One should not even give one's leavings to a dog."
  5327. 136Worship the guru as one's Chosen Ideal; never forsake the guru, even if he lives wrongly
  5328. 137Girindra: Sir! What if one's father or mother has committed some grave offence, some terrible sin?
  5329. 138Sri Ramakrishna: Even so. Even if the mother has gone with another man, you must not forsake her. When the wife of a certain family's guru lost her ch…
  5330. 139Chaitanya and his mother; man's debts: DUTIES
  5331. 140"Are mother and father any small thing? Unless they are pleased, there is no religion or anything else. Chaitanya was mad with divine love; still, bef…
  5332. 141Rebuking M.: "And I tell you this: your father and mother brought you up, and now you have so many children of your own, and you walk out of the house…
  5333. 142"There are a number of debts: the debt to the gods, the debt to the rishis, and then the debt to one's mother, the debt to one's father, the debt to o…
  5334. 143"There is a debt to the wife as well. Harish has left his wife and come to stay here. If there were no provision for his wife's food, I would have cal…
  5335. 144"After knowledge comes, you will see that very wife as Bhagavati Herself. The Chandi says, 'The Devi who dwells in all beings in the form of the mothe…
  5336. 145"All the women you see are She Herself. That is why I can't say anything to Brinde. Some people rattle off slokas and talk big, but they behave quite…
  5337. 146Brinde was the maid who waited on the Master. She was taken into service on the twelfth of Asharh, 1285, that is, 25 June 1878.
  5338. 147Ramprasanna was the son of the devotee Krishnakishore of Ariadaha.
  5339. 148Who is free from all debts? The sannyasi and duty
  5340. 149"But there is one thing. If a man has the madness of divine love, then who is father, who is mother, who is wife? He loves God so much that he has bec…
  5341. 150Buro Gopal's pilgrimage: when the Master is here, why go on pilgrimage? Adhar's invitation; Ram's hurt feelings; the Master makes peace
  5342. 151Buro Gopal lived at Sinthi. He was one of the Master's sannyasi devotees, and the Master used to call him "Buro Gopal".
  5343. 152The Master cried out, "Ah, Chaitanya!" Then, to the devotees: "'Chaitanya' means the indivisible Consciousness. Vaishnavcharan used to say Gauranga wa…
  5344. 153Sri Ramakrishna: So now you want to go on pilgrimage?
  5345. 154Buro Gopal: Yes, sir. I'll just wander about a little and come back.
  5346. 155Ram, to Buro Gopal: He says that after the bahudaka comes the kutichaka. A sadhu who travels to many holy places is called a bahudaka. One whose longi…
  5347. 156"And there is another thing he says. A bird sat perched on a ship's mast. It never noticed when the ship sailed out of the Ganges into the open sea. W…
  5348. 157Sri Ramakrishna, to Buro Gopal and the devotees: So long as one feels that God is there, there, one is in ignorance. When one feels He is here, here,…
  5349. 158"A man wanted to smoke, so off he went to the house next door to light his charcoal. The night was far gone, and the family had gone to sleep. After h…
  5350. 159"What one seeks is close at hand. Yet people wander from place to place."
  5351. 160Is the Master hinting: he himself is here, so why go on pilgrimage?
  5352. 161Ram: Sir! Now I understand why the guru sometimes tells a disciple, "Go round the four holy places." When the disciple has been round once and sees th…
  5353. 162When the talk had paused a little, the Master began to sing Ram's praises.
  5354. 163Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "Ah, how many virtues Ram has! How he serves and looks after the devotees!" Then, to Ram: "Adhar was saying that you…
  5355. 164Adhar's house is in Sobhabazar. He is a great devotee of the Master. There had been a singing of the Chandi at his house. The Master and many of the d…
  5356. 165Ram: It was not Adhar's fault; I have found out that it was Rakhal's fault. Rakhal had been given the charge—
  5357. 166Sri Ramakrishna: You mustn't find fault with Rakhal; if you pinch his throat, milk will come out!
  5358. 167Ram: Sir! What are you saying? There was a singing of the Chandi—
  5359. 168Sri Ramakrishna: Adhar didn't know. Why, only the other day he came with me to Jadu Mallick's. When I was leaving I asked him, "Didn't you make an off…
  5360. 169"And even if he didn't ask you, what harm is there in going where the name of Hari is sung? Where the name of Hari is, you may go even without being a…
  5361. 1Section Fifteen
  5362. 2Chapter One
  5363. 3Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar: the Phalaharini Puja and the Play of Vidya and Sundar
  5364. 4At Dakshineswar with Rakhal (Swami Brahmananda), Adhar, Hari (Swami Turiyananda) and Other Devotees
  5365. 5The Master is sitting in that familiar room of his; it is eleven in the morning. Rakhal, M. and other devotees are present in the room. Last night the…
  5366. 6Today is Saturday, the twelfth of Jyaishtha, the twenty-fourth of May, 1884, the day of the new moon.
  5367. 7The fair-complexioned young man who played Vidya had acted beautifully. Sri Ramakrishna is talking with him joyfully about many things of God. The dev…
  5368. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to the actor who played Vidya: Your acting was very good. If anyone is good at singing, playing music, dancing, or any one art, and i…
  5369. 9Teaching to the Player and to the Sepoys at Chanak: the Yoga of Practice; "Remember Death"
  5370. 10"And just as you practise a great deal and so learn to sing, play or dance, so you must practise uniting the mind with God; worship, japa, meditation,…
  5371. 11M.'s footnote: "Then seek to reach Me by the yoga of practice, O Dhananjaya." Bhagavad Gita
  5372. 12"Are you married? Any children?"
  5373. 13Vidya: Yes, sir. A daughter died; and another child has been born.
  5374. 14Sri Ramakrishna: "One born and gone already. And you are so young. As the saying goes: 'My husband died at dusk and dawn; how long shall I weep throug…
  5375. 15"You see what happiness there is in the world! It is like the hog plum: only stone and skin, and if you eat it you get colic.
  5376. 16"It is good that you work as a player. But it is a hard life. Now you are young, so you have a round, plump face. Later it will all shrivel. Players m…
  5377. 17"Why did I listen to Vidya and Sundar? I saw that the rhythm, the measure and the singing were good. Then the Mother showed me that it is Narayana Him…
  5378. 18Vidya: Sir, what is the difference between kama and kamana, lust and desire?
  5379. 19Sri Ramakrishna: Kama is like the root of a tree, and kamana like its branches and twigs.
  5380. 20"These six passions, lust, anger, greed and the rest, will never go altogether; so you must turn them towards God. If you must desire, if you must be…
  5381. 21"Unless you give Him the whole mind you cannot see Him.
  5382. 22Yoga after Enjoyment; the Love of Brothers and the World
  5383. 23"Woman and gold make the mind spend itself for nothing. Just look: children have been born, there is the work of the plays; in all these many kinds of…
  5384. 24"Where there is enjoyment, yoga grows less. And where there is enjoyment there is torment too. It is told in the Srimad Bhagavata that the Avadhuta ma…
  5385. 25M.'s footnote: "Stronger birds with no flesh struck the osprey that held flesh; when it gave the flesh up, it found happiness." Srimad Bhagavata, Book…
  5386. 26"The fish stands for the objects of enjoyment, and the crows are worries and anxieties. Where there is enjoyment there are worries and anxieties; once…
  5387. 27"And see how wealth turns into calamity. You brothers are getting on well; but brothers quarrel over the shares. Dogs lick one another and are on the…
  5388. 28"Do come here from time to time." He pointed to M. and the others. "These gentlemen come. They come on Sundays or other holidays."
  5389. 29Vidya: Our Sundays last three months: Sravana, Bhadra and Pausha, the rains and the time of the paddy harvest. Sir, to come to you would be our good f…
  5390. 30"When we were coming to Dakshineswar we had heard of two people: of you and of Jnanarnava."
  5391. 31Sri Ramakrishna: Live in harmony with your brothers. When there is harmony, everything looks and sounds well. Haven't you seen it in your plays? Four…
  5392. 32Vidya: When many birds are caught under a net, if they all try together and carry the net off to one side, they are largely saved. But if different bi…
  5393. 33"In the plays too you see someone dancing with a pitcher balanced on his head."
  5394. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Lead the life of the world, but hold the pitcher steady on your head; I mean, keep the mind steady on God.
  5395. 35"I said to the sepoys of the regiment at Chanak: You will do your work in the world, but keep in mind that the husking-pestle of Time, of death, can c…
  5396. 36"In my part of the country the carpenters' women husk flattened rice with the dhenki. One presses the beam with her foot, and the other keeps turning…
  5397. 37"In the same way you can do all kinds of work in the world with the mind set on God. But practice is needed, and you must be watchful; then you can ke…
  5398. 38The Way to Self-Vision or the Vision of God: Holy Company, Not Science
  5399. 39Vidya: Sir, what is the proof that the Self is distinct from the body?
  5400. 40Sri Ramakrishna: Proof? God can be seen; if you practise austerity, by His grace you have the vision of God. The rishis realized the Self directly. Th…
  5401. 41"So these things cannot be understood with this intellect. One must keep holy company. By going about with a physician you learn to feel the pulse."
  5402. 42Vidya: Yes, sir, now I understand.
  5403. 43Sri Ramakrishna: Austerity is needed; then the Real is attained. Even learning the verses of the scriptures by heart will do nothing. You cannot get d…
  5404. 44"The vision of God cannot be explained to people. You cannot explain to a child of five the joy of the union of husband and wife."
  5405. 45Vidya, to Sri Ramakrishna: Sir, by what means can the vision of the Self be had?
  5406. 46The Master's Gopala Bhava towards Rakhal
  5407. 47Just then Rakhal is sitting down to eat in the room. But since there are many people in the room, he hesitates. These days the Master cares for Rakhal…
  5408. 48Sri Ramakrishna, to Rakhal: "Go on, eat! Let these people stand up if they must." To a devotee: "Put some ice aside for Rakhal." To Rakhal: "Are you g…
  5409. 49Rakhal sat down to eat. The Master again talked with the young player who had acted Vidya.
  5410. 50Sri Ramakrishna, to Vidya: Why didn't all of you take prasad at the temple? You could have eaten here.
  5411. 51Vidya: Sir, not everyone thinks alike, so our cooking is being done separately. Not everyone wants to eat at the guest-house.
  5412. 52Rakhal has sat down to eat. The Master is sitting on the verandah with the devotees, talking again.
  5413. 53Chapter Two
  5414. 54The Player and Spiritual Practice in the World; the Way to the Vision of God (the Vision of the Self)
  5415. 55Sri Ramakrishna, to the actor who played Vidya: The way to the vision of the Self is longing: striving to reach Him with body, mind and speech. When a…
  5416. 56"Among you players, those who only play women's parts take on a woman's nature. Thinking of a woman, they come to have a woman's ways and gestures. In…
  5417. 57"Whatever colour you dye the mind, that colour it takes. The mind is like cloth from the washerman's."
  5418. 58Vidya: Then it must be sent to the washerman once.
  5419. 59Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, first purity of heart; after that, if you keep the mind steeped in the thought of God, it will take that colour. And if you keep…
  5420. 60Chapter Three
  5421. 61With Hari (Turiyananda), Narayan and Other Devotees
  5422. 62Sri Ramakrishna had hardly begun to rest when Hari, Narayan, Narendra Bandyopadhyay and others arrived from Calcutta and bowed down before him to the…
  5423. 63In meditation he used to hear and see many things, the sound of bells and the like! He had travelled a great deal, in Bhutan, in the North-West and in…
  5424. 64Hari (Swami Turiyananda) was then living with his brothers in their house at Baghbazar. He had studied at the General Assembly's Institution up to the…
  5425. 65On Buddhism; Brahman Is Pure Awareness; Totapuri's Teaching to the Master
  5426. 66Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: I have heard much of Buddha. He is counted among the ten Incarnations. Brahman is immovable, unshakable, actionless,…
  5427. 67"Nangta used to say: the mind merges in the intellect, and the intellect in Awareness.
  5428. 68"As long as the ego remains, the knowledge of Brahman does not come. When the knowledge of Brahman comes, when God is seen, then the ego comes under c…
  5429. 69Teaching to Bandyopadhyay: the Vision of God; the Way Is Holy Company
  5430. 70A devotee: What is it like, seeing God?
  5431. 71Sri Ramakrishna: Haven't you seen a play at the theatre? People are all chatting with one another, when the curtain goes up; then the whole mind of ev…
  5432. 72"And when the curtain falls, the eyes turn outward again. When the curtain of maya falls, man becomes outward-turned again.
  5433. 73To Narendra Bandyopadhyay: "You have travelled a lot. Tell us some stories of holy men."
  5434. 74Bandyopadhyay is telling stories: in Bhutan he had seen two yogis who drank half a seer of neem juice; and so on. He had also been to a holy man's ash…
  5435. 75Sri Ramakrishna: You see, pictures of holy men ought to be kept in the house; then God is always called to mind.
  5436. 76Bandyopadhyay: I keep your picture in my room; and a picture of a holy man in the mountains, lighting a pipe of ganja in his hand.
  5437. 77Sri Ramakrishna: Yes; seeing pictures of holy men awakens the mind. Just as a custard apple made of pith reminds you of a real one, and the sight of a…
  5438. 78"That is why I tell you: holy company is needed always.
  5439. 79To Bandyopadhyay: "You see the torment of the world. The moment you reach for enjoyment, there is torment. As long as the kite had the fish in its bea…
  5440. 80"In holy company there is peace. The crocodile stays long under water; now and then it comes up to the surface to take a breath. Then it breathes free…
  5441. 81The Player and God the Wish-fulfilling Tree; the Danger of Praying for Desires
  5442. 82The player: Sir, what you said about enjoyment is true. If one asks God for enjoyment, one lands in trouble in the end. All kinds of desires and cravi…
  5443. 83Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that very thought, that a tiger is coming.
  5444. 84"What more shall I say? Keep the mind on that side; do not forget God. If you call on Him with a simple heart, He will show Himself to you.
  5445. 85"One thing more: at the end of a play, sing the name of Hari a little before you rise. Then those who sing and those who listen will all go home think…
  5446. 86The players bowed and took their leave.
  5447. 87Sri Ramakrishna's Counsel to the Wives of Householder Devotees
  5448. 88The wives of two devotees came and bowed down to the Master. They have come to see him and for that reason have been fasting. The two sisters-in-law w…
  5449. 89Sri Ramakrishna, to the wives: Look, you should worship Siva. There is a book called Nityakarma that tells how the worship is done; read it and learn.…
  5450. 90Sri Ramakrishna and the Value of Image Worship
  5451. 91"Somehow or other unite the mind with God. Let Him not be forgotten even once; like a stream of oil, with no break in it! Even if you worship a brick…
  5452. 92"The worship I spoke of before, the worship of Siva: worship of this kind has to be done; then, once you are ripe, you need not go on worshipping for…
  5453. 93The elder wife, to Sri Ramakrishna: Will you give us a little instruction?
  5454. 94Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: I don't give mantras, you know. If I give a mantra I have to take on the disciple's sins and sufferings. The Mother keeps m…
  5455. 95"Is the chanting of Hari's name at home being done, as I told you?"
  5456. 96A wife, to Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, sir.
  5457. 97Sri Ramakrishna: Why did you come fasting? You should eat before you come.
  5458. 98"Each woman, you see, is a form of my Mother; so I cannot bear to see them suffer: each is a form of the Mother of the universe. Eat before you come,…
  5459. 99M.'s footnote: "All women in all the worlds are You." Sri Devi Mahatmya
  5460. 100With these words he told Ramlal to seat the wives and give them refreshments. They were given prasad of the Phalaharini Puja: luchi, all kinds of frui…
  5461. 101The Master said, "You have eaten something, and now my mind is cool again; I cannot bear to see women go hungry."
  5462. 102Chapter Four
  5463. 103Secret Talk with the Devotees; Keshab Sen
  5464. 104Sri Ramakrishna is seated on the steps of the Siva temple. It is five in the afternoon. Near him sit a few devotees: Adhar, Dr. Nitai, M. and others.
  5465. 105Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Do you know, my nature is changing.
  5466. 106Now, as if about to say something secret, he came down one step and sat nearer the devotees. What is he saying now?
  5467. 107God's Highest Manifestation in Man; the Mystery of Divine Incarnation
  5468. 108"You are devotees; why should I not tell you? These days I do not see God's forms made of Spirit. Now what He is telling me is this: God with form, in…
  5469. 109"He is in all beings, of course; but He is manifest more in man.
  5470. 110"Is man a small thing, my dear? He is able to think of God and to think of the Infinite; other creatures are not.
  5471. 111"He is in other creatures, in trees and plants, in all beings; but in man He is manifest more.
  5472. 112"The element of fire is in all things, in everything; but in wood it is manifest more.
  5473. 113"Rama said to Lakshmana: Brother, see, the elephant is so huge an animal, but it cannot think of God.
  5474. 114"And in the Incarnation He is manifest more still. Rama said to Lakshmana: Brother, in whatever man you see ecstatic love, who laughs and weeps, dance…
  5475. 115The Master was silent again. After a while he spoke once more.
  5476. 116The Influence of Sri Ramakrishna on Keshab Chandra Sen
  5477. 117Sri Ramakrishna: Well, Keshab Sen used to come very often. He changed a great deal from coming here. Latterly he had become a fine man. He came here m…
  5478. 118"Before this Keshab had not had much holy company.
  5479. 119"We met at his house in Colootola; Hriday was with me. They seated us in the room where Keshab Sen was. He was writing something at the table; after a…
  5480. 120"He came here from time to time. Once, in a state of bhava, I said that one should not sit with one's feet up before a holy man. It increases rajas. W…
  5481. 121The Name of Hari and the Mother's Name in the Brahmo Samaj; God Seen in the Devotee's Heart
  5482. 122"And I said to Keshab, 'Chant Hari's name; in the Kaliyuga it is His name and glories that one must sing.' Then they took up drum and cymbals and bega…
  5483. 123M.'s footnote: For some years Keshab Sen had been chanting the name of Brahman to drum and cymbals. After he met Sri Ramakrishna in 1875 he began in p…
  5484. 124"Why did my own faith in Hari's name grow still stronger? Holy men come to this temple garden now and then; once a holy man from Multan came, waiting…
  5485. 125Counsel to Keshab: Woman and Gold the Fish-basket, Holy Company the Scent of Flowers; Spiritual Practice in Solitude Now and Then
  5486. 126"One day Keshab came and stayed till ten at night. Pratap and some others said, 'We'll stay tonight', and they were all sitting under the banyan (at t…
  5487. 127"I laughed then and said, 'Won't sleep come without the smell of the fish-basket? A fishwife once was a guest at a gardener's house. She had been sell…
  5488. 128"Hearing the story, Keshab's people burst out laughing, ho, ho!
  5489. 129"After dusk Keshab held his worship at the bathing ghat. After the worship I said to Keshab: Look, it is God Himself who in one form has become the Bh…
  5490. 130"Keshab and his people listened to these words with great attention. It was the full moon, moonlight all around. We were all sitting on the landing of…
  5491. 131"Then all of them said together, 'Bhagavata, Bhakta, Bhagavan.' Then I said, Say, 'Brahman is Sakti, Sakti is Brahman.' Again they said together, 'Bra…
  5492. 132"When I said to them once more, Now say, 'Guru, Krishna, Vaishnava', Keshab said, Not so far as that, sir! Then everyone will take us for bigoted Vais…
  5493. 133"I used to say to Keshab now and then: Him whom you call Brahman I call Sakti, the Primal Sakti. When He is beyond speech and mind, without attributes…
  5494. 134"I said to Keshab: It is very hard to live in the world. How can a patient with typhoid get well in the very room where there are pickles and tamarind…
  5495. 135Counsel to Adhar, M., Nitai and Others: "Go Forward"
  5496. 136To the devotees: "You see, Keshab was so learned, he lectured in English, so many people honoured him; Queen Victoria herself sat and talked with him!…
  5497. 137To Adhar: "Look, you are so learned, a deputy magistrate too, and still you are under the thumb of every Khandi and Phandi. Go forward. Beyond the san…
  5498. 138Coming down from the Siva temple, Sri Ramakrishna is crossing the courtyard towards his own room, with Adhar, M. and other devotees. Just then Ram Cha…
  5499. 139Ram Chatterji, to Sri Ramakrishna: I told you at ten o'clock, but you would not listen.
  5500. 140Sri Ramakrishna: What can I do?
  5501. 141Ram Chatterji: What can you do? Rakhal, Ramlal and the rest were here; none of them did anything.
  5502. 142M.: Kishori (Gupta) has gone to Alambazar to fetch medicine.
  5503. 143Sri Ramakrishna: What, alone? Where will he get it from?
  5504. 144M.: There is no one with him. He will get it from Alambazar.
  5505. 145Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell those who are looking after the patient what they must do if she gets worse, and what she should eat if she gets better.
  5506. 146M.: Yes, sir.
  5507. 147Now the devotees' wives came and bowed. They took their leave.
  5508. 148Sri Ramakrishna said to them again, "Do the worship of Siva as I told you. And come after you have eaten; otherwise it pains me. Try to come again on…
  5509. 149Chapter Five
  5510. 150Sri Ramakrishna has now come and sat down on the semicircular verandah to the west. Bandyopadhyay, Hari, M. and others are sitting near him. The Maste…
  5511. 151Teaching to Bandyopadhyay: the Wife Is the Cause of the World; Take Refuge in Him
  5512. 152Sri Ramakrishna: "Look, 'all for a loincloth', so much trouble. You married and children came, so you have to take a job. The holy man is busy with hi…
  5513. 153M., to himself: Perhaps the Master is speaking of the world of avidya, ignorance. Perhaps it is in the world of avidya that the "worldly soul" lives.
  5514. 154Pointing to M., smiling: "This one too has taken separate lodgings. 'Who are you?' 'I am a stranger in a foreign land'; and 'Who are you?' 'I am pinin…
  5515. 155"But if you take refuge in Him there is no more fear. He Himself will protect you."
  5516. 156Hari and others: Well, why do many take so long to attain Him?
  5517. 157Sri Ramakrishna: You see, until enjoyment and karma are worked out, longing does not come. The physician says: let some days pass; then a little medic…
  5518. 158"Narada said to Rama, 'Rama! If You sit on in Ayodhya, how will Ravana be slain? It is for that You have come down!' Rama said, 'Narada! Let the time…
  5519. 159M.'s footnote: Adhyatma Ramayana, the Ayodhya Kanda.
  5520. 160The Problem of Evil and Hari (Turiyananda); the Master's State of the Vijnani
  5521. 161Hari: Well, why is there so much misery in the world?
  5522. 162Sri Ramakrishna: This world is His lila; it is like a game. In this lila there is everything: happiness and misery, sin and virtue, knowledge and igno…
  5523. 163"In the game of hide-and-seek you have to touch the granny. If the granny is touched at the very start of the game she isn't pleased. It is God's wish…
  5524. 164"Of a hundred thousand kites, one or two break free, And You laugh and clap Your hands, O Mother.
  5525. 165"That is, one or two see God and are freed, after much austerity, by His grace. Then the Mother claps Her hands in joy, crying, 'Bho! Cut loose!'"
  5526. 166Hari: But the game is killing us.
  5527. 167Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Tell me, who are you? It is God who has become everything: maya, the jiva, the universe, the twenty-four cosmic principles.
  5528. 168M.'s footnote: "You are woman, You are man, You are the youth and the maiden too. You totter old upon a staff; You are born, and Your faces are everyw…
  5529. 169"'I bite as the snake, and I cure as the charmer!' He has become both vidya and avidya. In avidya-maya He has become ignorance; in vidya-maya, as the…
  5530. 170"Ignorance, knowledge, vijnana. The jnani sees that He alone exists, that He is the doer, creating, preserving and destroying. The vijnani sees that H…
  5531. 171"In mahabhava, in prema, one sees that there is nothing but Him!
  5532. 172"Beside bhava, bhakti is pale; when bhava ripens it becomes mahabhava, prema.
  5533. 173To Bandyopadhyay: "Do you still hear the sound of bells in meditation?"
  5534. 174Bandyopadhyay: I hear that sound every day! And I see forms as well! Once the mind has caught on, does it ever stop?
  5535. 175Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Yes, once wood catches fire it doesn't go out." To the devotees: "He knows many stories of faith."
  5536. 176Bandyopadhyay: My faith is very great.
  5537. 177Sri Ramakrishna: Tell us something, then.
  5538. 178Bandyopadhyay: A guru gave someone the mantra "sheep", and told him, "The sheep is your Chosen Deity." Repeating the sheep mantra, he attained perfect…
  5539. 179"A grass-cutter crossed the Ganges by repeating Rama's name."
  5540. 180Sri Ramakrishna: Bring the ladies of your house with the ladies of Balaram's family.
  5541. 181Bandyopadhyay: Who is Balaram?
  5542. 182Sri Ramakrishna: You don't know who Balaram is? His house is in Bosepara.
  5543. 183Sri Ramakrishna is overwhelmed with joy when he sees a simple soul. Bandyopadhyay is very simple; and he loves Niranjan dearly too because Niranjan is…
  5544. 184Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Why am I telling you to meet Niranjan? So that I can see whether it is true that "he is simple".
  5545. 1Section Thirteen
  5546. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Dakshineswar temple on the day of his birthday festival, with Vijay, Kedar, Rakhal, Surendra and other devotees
  5547. 3Chapter One
  5548. 4At the Foot of the Panchavati on the Birthday Festival, with Vijay and Other Devotees
  5549. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting under the Panchavati, on the platform round the old banyan tree, facing south, with many devotees: Vijay, Kedar, Surendra,…
  5550. 6The Master's birthday is the second lunar day of Phalgun's bright fortnight. But because of the trouble with his arm there has been no birthday festiv…
  5551. 7M. did not find the Master in his room, and came to the Panchavati. He saw the devotees with smiling faces, all in joy. He had not noticed that the Ma…
  5552. 8Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to M.: See how I have brought the two of them (Kedar and Vijay) together!
  5553. 9In 1868 the Master had planted in the Panchavati a madhavi creeper he had brought from Vrindavan. By now the madhavi had grown quite big. Little boys…
  5554. 10Surendra went up and sat down. Seeing Bhavanath sitting there in a coat, Surendra said, "Hello! Are you off to England, then?"
  5555. 11The Master laughed and said, "Our England is with God!" The Master talked with the devotees on many subjects.
  5556. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Now and then I used to throw off my cloth and go about full of bliss. One day Sambhu said, "So you go about naked! It's very comforta…
  5557. 13Surendra: When I come home from the office and take off my coat and chapkan, I say, "Mother, how many bonds You have tied me with!"
  5558. 14Surendra's office; the world, the eight fetters and the three gunas
  5559. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Man is bound by the eight fetters: shame, hatred, fear, pride of caste, diffidence, the wish to hide things; all these.
  5560. 16The Master sang:
  5561. 17This is the grief that grieves me, Syama.
  5562. 18Song: Mother Syama, You are flying a kite (in the market place of the world); It flies on the wind of hope, tied by the string of maya.
  5563. 19"The string of maya means wife and children. 'You have rubbed the string with the manja of worldliness, and the string has grown sharp and rough.' Wor…
  5564. 20Song: I came into the world to play at dice, and great were my hopes. But hope's hope ended in ruin; my first throw was a panjuri. Pa-bara, eighteen,…
  5565. 21"The panjuri means the five elements. To be trapped by the panja and the chhakka means to be under the power of the five elements and the six passions…
  5566. 22"Sattva, rajas and tamas: these three gunas have man in their power. They are three brothers. If sattva is there, it can call rajas; if rajas is there…
  5567. 23Vijay, smiling: So sattva too is a robber.
  5568. 24Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: It cannot take you to God, but it shows you the way.
  5569. 25Bhavanath: Ah! What a wonderful thing to say!
  5570. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, this is a very lofty truth.
  5571. 27The devotees listened to all this with joy.
  5572. 28Chapter Two
  5573. 29Instruction to Vijay, Kedar and Others about Woman and Gold
  5574. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Bondage comes from woman and gold. Woman and gold is itself the world. Woman and gold is what will not let one see God.
  5575. 31Saying this, the Master took his towel and held it up before his face. And he said, "Can you see me now? This is the covering. Once this covering of w…
  5576. 32"Don't you see? Whoever has renounced the pleasure of woman has renounced the whole world's pleasure! God is quite close to such a man."
  5577. 33Some sitting, some standing, they listened to these words in silence.
  5578. 34To Kedar, Vijay and the others: "He who has given up the pleasure of woman has given up the pleasure of the world. This woman and gold is the covering…
  5579. 35Vijay: Yes, sir, that is true.
  5580. 36Kedar sat silent, amazed. The Master went on:
  5581. 37"I see everyone under the thumb of women. I had gone to the Captain's house, on my way to Ram's. So I said to the Captain, 'Give me the carriage fare.…
  5582. 38"Money and everything else, all of it is in the wife's hands! And then he says, 'I can't keep even a couple of rupees with me; that's how I am!'
  5583. 39"The head clerk has many jobs to give, but he won't give them. Someone said, 'Get hold of Golapi, and you'll have the job.' Golapi is the head clerk's…
  5584. 40Earlier Days: The Visit to the Fort; Women and the "Kalambara Road"
  5585. 41"Men don't understand how low they have sunk.
  5586. 42"When I drove to the Fort in a carriage, it seemed to me that I had come by an ordinary road. Then I saw that I had come down four storeys! It was a k…
  5587. 43M.'s footnote: Kalambara means sloping.
  5588. 44Vijay, smiling: When a man meets an exorcist, the exorcist drives the ghost out.
  5589. 45Sri Ramakrishna made no further answer to this; he only said, "That is the will of God." He went on talking about women.
  5590. 46Sri Ramakrishna: "Whomever I ask, he says, 'Yes, sir, my wife is good.' Not one man's wife is bad!" Everyone laughed.
  5591. 47"Those who live with woman and gold are so intoxicated that they understand nothing. Those who play chess often don't know the right move. But those w…
  5592. 48"Woman is maya in form. Narada began to sing Rama's praises: 'O Rama, all men are parts of You; all women are parts of Sita, Your maya. I want no othe…
  5593. 49Instruction to Girindra, Nagendra and Others
  5594. 50Surendra's younger brother Girindra and Surendra's nephews, Nagendra and others, had come. Girindra had taken up work in an office; Nagendra was prepa…
  5595. 51Sri Ramakrishna, to Girindra and the others: I tell you, do not get attached to the world. Look, Rakhal has gained a sense of knowledge and ignorance;…
  5596. 52"And you must live in love with one another; then all will be well. And you will be happy. When the players of a yatra sing in one tune, the yatra goe…
  5597. 53"Keep the greater part of your mind on God, and do the work of the world with a part of it.
  5598. 54"A sadhu's mind is twelve annas on God and four annas on work. It is to talk of God that a sadhu is most alert. Tread on a snake's tail and there's no…
  5599. 55Sahachari's Kirtan in the Panchavati; Sudden Clouds and a Storm
  5600. 56As the Master was going to the tamarisk grove, he spoke to Gopal of Sinthi about the umbrella. Gopal said to M., "He told me as he went to leave the u…
  5601. 57Yesterday, Saturday, was the new moon. It was the month of Jyaishtha. Today clouds had been gathering now and then. Suddenly a storm came up. The Mast…
  5602. 58Sri Ramakrishna, to Gopal of Sinthi: Well, have you brought the umbrella?
  5603. 59Gopal: No, sir. I forgot it, listening to the singing!
  5604. 60The umbrella was lying in the Panchavati; Gopal hurried off to fetch it.
  5605. 61Sri Ramakrishna: Scatter-brained as I am, I'm not as bad as that!
  5606. 62"Rakhal, talking of an invitation somewhere, says the eleventh for the thirteenth!
  5607. 63"And Gopal: a herd of cows!" Everyone laughed.
  5608. 64"It's like the story of the goldsmiths: one says 'Kesava', another 'Gopala', another 'Hari', another 'Hara'! There 'Gopala' means a herd of cows!" Eve…
  5609. 65Surendra, meaning Gopal, said joyfully, "Where is Kanu?"
  5610. 66Chapter Three
  5611. 67The Joy of Sankirtan with Vijay and Other Devotees; Sahachari's Song of Gauranga's Sannyas
  5612. 68The kirtan singer was singing of Gaura's taking sannyas, and now and then adding her own lines:
  5613. 69(No woman shall he behold!) (That is the sannyasi's dharma!) (To end the sorrow of all beings) (No woman shall he behold!) (Or else Gaura's coming as…
  5614. 70As the Master listened to the story of Gauranga's sannyas, he stood up and went into samadhi. At once the devotees put garlands of flowers round his n…
  5615. 71Sri Krishna Himself the Indivisible Satchidananda, and Again the Jiva and the World; Svarat and Virat
  5616. 72Little by little the samadhi was breaking. The Master was talking with Krishna, Satchidananda. At times he uttered the word "Krishna", and at times he…
  5617. 73He who pervades the moving and the unmoving, filling the whole indivisible round, Who has shown me that Abode: salutation to that blessed Guru.
  5618. 74"You are the Indivisible; it is You again who pervade all things moving and unmoving! You are the support, and You are the supported! Krishna my life!…
  5619. 75Vijay too was overcome with ecstasy. The Master said, "Babu, have you lost consciousness too?"
  5620. 76Vijay, humbly: No, sir.
  5621. 77The kirtan singer sang again: "Blind love!" No sooner had she added the lines, "I would keep You always in my heart, O beloved of my soul!" than the M…
  5622. 78When he had come back a little to the outer world, the singer again added her lines: "Must one who has given up everything for You suffer so?"
  5623. 79The Master saluted the kirtan singer. He sat listening to the songs, now and then overcome with ecstasy. The singer stopped, and the Master began to t…
  5624. 80In Love the Body and the World Are Forgotten; the Master Dances with the Devotees and Goes into Samadhi
  5625. 81Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay and the other devotees: What is it that is called prema? One who has prema for God, like Chaitanya, will forget the world, o…
  5626. 82The Master sang, to show what happens when prema comes:
  5627. 83When I say "Hari", the tears will stream down. (When will that day come?) (My body will thrill) (Worldly desire will go) (My dark days will end and br…
  5628. 84The Master stood up and danced, and the devotees danced with him. The Master took M. by the arm and drew him into the circle.
  5629. 85As he danced he went again into samadhi! He stood there like a figure in a picture! To bring him out of samadhi, Kedar recited a hymn:
  5630. 86"In the lotus of the heart, attributeless, actionless, known to Hari, Hara and Brahma, Reached by yogis in meditation, destroyer of the fear of birth…
  5631. 87Gradually the samadhi broke. The Master took his seat and chanted the name: Om Satchidananda! Govinda! Govinda! Govinda! Yogamaya! The Bhagavata, the…
  5632. 88The Master took the dust of the place where the kirtan and the dancing had been.
  5633. 89Chapter Four
  5634. 90The Hard Vow of the Sannyasi; the Sannyasi and the Teaching of Men
  5635. 91The Master was sitting on the round verandah by the Ganges, with Vijay, Bhavanath, M., Kedar and other devotees near him. Every now and then the Maste…
  5636. 92Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay and the other devotees: They say a great deal of the name of Hari has been sung in the room; that's why it all came alive so…
  5637. 93Bhavanath: And on top of that, the story of sannyas!
  5638. 94Sri Ramakrishna: "Ah! What feeling!" And with these words he began to sing:
  5639. 95Gora is giving away the treasure of prema. He pours it out by the jarful, and still it never runs out! Moon-faced Nitai calls, "Come!" "Come!" Moon-fa…
  5640. 96To Vijay and the others: "She put it well in her kirtan: 'The sannyasi shall not behold a woman. That is the sannyasi's dharma.' What feeling!"
  5641. 97Vijay: Yes, sir.
  5642. 98Sri Ramakrishna: It is by seeing the sannyasi that everyone will learn; that is why the rule is so strict! A sannyasi may not so much as see a woman's…
  5643. 99"A black goat must be sacrificed for the Mother's worship; but if it has the slightest wound, it will not do. A sannyasi will not keep company with wo…
  5644. 100Vijay: Junior Haridas talked with a woman devotee, and Chaitanya cast Haridas off.
  5645. 101Earlier Days: The Marwari's Offer to Settle Money on Sri Ramakrishna, and Mathur's Offer to Deed Him Land
  5646. 102Sri Ramakrishna: For a sannyasi, woman and gold are like a foul smell on a beautiful woman's body. With that smell, her beauty is in vain.
  5647. 103"A Marwari wanted to settle money on me; Mathur wanted to deed me land; but I could not accept it.
  5648. 104"The rule for a sannyasi is very hard. When a man has taken the garb of a sadhu, a sannyasi, he must act exactly like a sadhu, a sannyasi. Haven't you…
  5649. 105"A bahurupi once dressed up as a sadhu of renunciation. Some rich men went to give him a purse full of rupees. He said, 'Hm-hm!' and walked off; he wo…
  5650. 106"But in the state of the paramahamsa a man becomes like a child. A child of five has no sense of man and woman. Even so, he must be careful, for the s…
  5651. 107Why Sri Keshab Sen Could Not Teach Men
  5652. 108Sri Keshab Sen lived in the midst of woman and gold, and so his teaching of others was hindered. The Master was saying this.
  5653. 109Sri Ramakrishna: He (Keshab), you understand?
  5654. 110Vijay: Yes, sir.
  5655. 111Sri Ramakrishna: Trying to keep both this side and that, he could not do much.
  5656. 112Why Sri Chaitanya Renounced the World
  5657. 113Vijay: Chaitanya said to Nityananda, "Nitai, if I don't renounce the world, it will not be for the good of men. Everyone will follow my example and wa…
  5658. 114Sri Ramakrishna: Chaitanya renounced the world to teach men.
  5659. 115"A sadhu, a sannyasi, gives up woman and gold for his own good. And even when he is unattached, for the sake of teaching others he keeps no woman and…
  5660. 116Dusk was near. One by one the devotees bowed down and said goodbye. Vijay said to Kedar, "This morning (in meditation) I saw you; I went to touch you,…
  5661. 1Part One, Section Ten
  5662. 2Chapter One
  5663. 3The Festival at Sri Surendra's Garden
  5664. 4Today the Master has come to Surendra's garden. It is Sunday, the sixth day of the dark fortnight of Jyaishtha, the fifteenth of June, 1884. Since nin…
  5665. 5Surendra's garden lies in the quarter called Kankurgachi, near Calcutta. Close by is Ram's garden, the garden the Master had graced with his visit som…
  5666. 6Kirtan has been going on since morning. The kirtan singers are singing the Mathur, the songs of Krishna gone to Mathura. The love of the gopis, the pi…
  5667. 7Devotees have gathered on the verandahs of the garden house as well. Some are strolling alone or with friends along the path and beside the tank. Some…
  5668. 8The kirtan goes on. The room is crowded with devotees. Bhavanath, Niranjan, Rakhal, Surendra, Ram, M., Mahimacharan, Mani Mallick and many others are…
  5669. 9The Mathur songs are being sung. The kirtan singer first sings the prelude in praise of Gauranga. Gauranga has taken sannyas; he has gone mad with lov…
  5670. 10Then, describing Sri Radha's state in separation, the singer sings again!
  5671. 11The Master is in bhava. Suddenly he stands up and, in a most piteous voice, adds his own lines to the song: "Friend! Either bring the beloved of my li…
  5672. 12After a long while he comes back to himself. Again that piteous voice. He says: "Friend! Take me to him and buy me for your own! I shall be your slave…
  5673. 13The singers' song went on. Sri Radha is saying: "Friend! I will not go to fetch water from the Jamuna. Under the kadamba tree I saw my dear Friend; wh…
  5674. 14Again the Master is lost in bhava. Heaving a deep sigh, he says in anguish: "Ah! Ah!"
  5675. 15The kirtan goes on. Sri Radha's words:
  5676. 16Song: Longing for the joy of his company, seeing the cool limbs of his body (O!)
  5677. 17Now and then the singer adds lines: "If not to you, at least show him once to me!" "The ornament of my ornaments is gone; I have no use for ornaments…
  5678. 18The Master adds a line: "Has that time not come even yet?"
  5679. 19The singer adds: So long a time has gone; has that time not come even yet?
  5680. 20Song: I shall die, I shall die, friend, surely I shall die. To whom shall I leave a treasure of virtues like my Kanu? Do not burn Radha's body, do not…
  5681. 21Sri Radha has reached the tenth state of love: she has fallen in a swoon.
  5682. 22Song: The fair one swooned; her senses left her, (even as she was saying the Name) (Rai, have you broken up the fair?) at that very moment, friend, sh…
  5683. 23Seeing her in a swoon, her friends repeat the name of Krishna. At the name of Syam she comes to herself. Seeing the tamala tree, she thinks that Krish…
  5684. 24Song: Given back her life by the name of Syam, the fair one looks this way and that; not seeing that moon-face, she cries aloud. (She says, Where is h…
  5685. 25Taking counsel together, the friends have sent a messenger to Mathura. There she makes the acquaintance of a woman of Mathura.
  5686. 26Song: A woman of her own age asks who she is.
  5687. 27Sri Radha's friend, the messenger, is saying: I shall not need to call him; he will come of himself. With the woman of Mathura the messenger goes to w…
  5688. 28"Where are you, O Hari, life of the gopis! Beloved of my life! Beloved of Radha! Hari, guardian of our honour! Show yourself once. I have boasted to t…
  5689. 29Song: A woman of Madhupur smiles and turns to say, A cowherd girl of Gokul! (Alas!) (How will you go?) (In the dress of a beggar woman like this!) Thr…
  5690. 30Hearing the words "Where is the life of the gopis, the beloved of my life!" the Master went into samadhi. At the close of the kirtan the singers are s…
  5691. 31Radha and Krishna were united. The singers are singing songs in that mood.
  5692. 32The Master adds his lines: "The fair one has taken her stand! Bending her body, the fair one has taken her stand! At Syam's left the fair one has take…
  5693. 33Now comes the singing of the Name. With drums and cymbals they began to sing: "Victory to Radha and Govinda!" The devotees are all beside themselves!…
  5694. 34Chapter Two
  5695. 35Simplicity and the Attainment of God. Serving God and Serving the World
  5696. 36When the kirtan was over the Master sat down for a while with the devotees. Just then Niranjan came and bowed down to the ground before him. The momen…
  5697. 37"Don't you see? Wherever God has come down as an Incarnation, there is guilelessness. How guileless Dasaratha was! Nanda, Sri Krishna's father, how gu…
  5698. 38The devotees are guileless. Is the Master hinting that God has come down to earth again?
  5699. 39Sri Ramakrishna, to Niranjan: Look, it's as though a dark veil has fallen over your face. That's because you work in an office. In an office you have…
  5700. 40"You are in service just as worldly people are, but there is a little difference. You've taken the job for your mother's sake. Your mother is your eld…
  5701. 41To Mani Mallick: "You see, this boy is extremely guileless. Only, these days he tells a little fib now and then; that's his one fault. The other day h…
  5702. 42Niranjan: I had been at Ariadaha only two days.
  5703. 43Sri Ramakrishna, to Niranjan: "This is the headmaster. He went to see you. I sent him." Then, to M.: "That day, was it you who sent Baburam to me?"
  5704. 44Chapter Three
  5705. 45Sri Radha and Krishna, and the Love of the Gopis
  5706. 46The Master is talking with two or three devotees in the west room. Some tables and chairs had been piled up there. The Master is half standing, half s…
  5707. 47Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Ah, what longing the gopis had! At the mere sight of a tamala tree they went mad with love! Sri Radha's fire of separation was…
  5708. 48M.: Yes, sir! It was so with Gauranga too. Seeing a wood, he thought it was Vrindavan; seeing the sea, he thought it was the Jamuna.
  5709. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, if anyone had a single drop of that love! What longing! What love! Not just sixteen annas of longing, but twenty-five annas! That…
  5710. 50"If you must go mad, why go mad over worldly things? If go mad you must, then go mad for God."
  5711. 51Chapter Four
  5712. 52Talk of God with Bhavanath, Mahima and Other Devotees
  5713. 53The Master came back to the hall. A bolster was set beside his seat. As he sat down the Master touched the bolster, uttering the mantra "Om Tat Sat."…
  5714. 54A devotee, to the Master, smiling: "Sir! Rambabu is in charge. He is seeing to everything." Everyone laughed.
  5715. 55Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: Ram in charge! Then we're done for!
  5716. 56A devotee: "Yes, sir, where Rambabu is in charge, this is just how it goes." Everyone laughed.
  5717. 57Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "Where is Surendra? Ah, Surendra's nature has become fine. He's very outspoken; he's afraid of no one when he speaks…
  5718. 58M.: Yes, sir, I went to Kalna. Bhagavan Das has grown very old. I saw him at night; he was lying on a quilt. Someone brought prasad and began to feed…
  5719. 59In that house the Name is worshipped as Brahman.
  5720. 60Bhavanath, to M.: It's many days now since you went to Dakshineswar. He was asking me about you at Dakshineswar, and saying, "Has M. lost his taste fo…
  5721. 61Saying this, Bhavanath began to laugh. The Master had been listening to all the talk between them. Looking at M. tenderly, he said: "Yes, tell me, why…
  5722. 62M. began to stammer.
  5723. 63Just then Mahimacharan arrived. Mahimacharan lives at Cossipore. He has great reverence and devotion for the Master and goes to Dakshineswar often. He…
  5724. 64Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Mahima: "What's this! A ship has turned up here!" Everyone laughed. "Dinghies and such might come to a place like this; b…
  5725. 65There is much talk with Mahimacharan.
  5726. 66Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: Well, feeding people is a kind of service to Him, isn't it? He dwells in all beings as fire. Feeding them means making off…
  5727. 67"But that doesn't mean one should feed wicked people. People who have committed great sins like adultery, people steeped in worldliness: wherever such…
  5728. 68"Hriday once gave a feast at Sihore. Many of the guests were bad people. I said, 'Look, Hriday, if you feed those people, I'll leave this house of you…
  5729. 69Chapter Five
  5730. 70With the Brahmo Devotees
  5731. 71Now the leaf plates are being laid, on the south verandah. The Master says to Mahimacharan: "Won't you go and see what they're all doing? And, though…
  5732. 72The Master sat down to eat with the devotees in great joy.
  5733. 73After the meal he has come to the room and is resting. The devotees too, having rinsed their mouths at the masonry ghat of the south tank, came back t…
  5734. 74After two o'clock Pratap arrived. He is a Brahmo devotee. On arriving he saluted the Master. The Master too bowed his head and returned the greeting.…
  5735. 75Pratap: Sir! I went to the hills (to Darjeeling).
  5736. 76Sri Ramakrishna: But your health hasn't improved much. What is your illness?
  5737. 77Pratap: Sir, the same illness that he had, I have too.
  5738. 78Keshab too had had that illness. Other talk about Keshab followed. Pratap went on: Keshab's renunciation could be seen from his boyhood. He was hardly…
  5739. 79Worldly Fame and Egotism. "I Am the Doer" and "I Am the Guru." The Signs of Having Seen God
  5740. 80There is talk about a woman from Maharashtra.
  5741. 81Pratap: Some women of this country too have gone to England. A Maharashtrian girl, very learned, went to England. She has become a Christian, though.…
  5742. 82Sri Ramakrishna: No, but from what you tell me it seems she wants to be honoured by the world. Egotism of that kind is not good. "I am doing it" comes…
  5743. 83"If you think of the calf you will understand what misery comes from saying 'I, I.' The calf says 'Hamma, hamma,' that is, 'I, I.' See its misery! Per…
  5744. 84"So too with the jiva: when it says, 'O Lord, the doer is not I, the doer is You alone; You work the machine and I am only the machine,' then the jiva…
  5745. 85A devotee: How does the ego of the jiva go?
  5746. 86Sri Ramakrishna: Without seeing God the ego does not go. If anyone's ego has gone, he has certainly seen God.
  5747. 87Devotee: Sir! How can one know that one has seen God?
  5748. 88Sri Ramakrishna: There are signs of having seen God. It is said in the Srimad Bhagavata that one who has seen God shows four signs: he is like (1) a c…
  5749. 89"One who has seen God comes to have a child's nature. He has gone beyond the three gunas; no guna has a hold on him. Again, clean and unclean are the…
  5750. 90Devotee: After seeing God, does the ego go altogether?
  5751. 91Sri Ramakrishna: Sometimes He wipes out the ego altogether, as in the state of samadhi. Again, for the most part He leaves a little ego. But there is…
  5752. 92"At the touch of the philosopher's stone iron turns into gold. An iron sword becomes a golden sword. The sword keeps its shape, but it does no one any…
  5753. 93Chapter Six
  5754. 94The Worship of Gold in England! Is the Goal of Life Work or the Attainment of God?
  5755. 95Sri Ramakrishna, to Pratap: You went to England; tell us all you saw.
  5756. 96Pratap: What you call gold is what the people of England worship. There are some good people, of course, unattached people. But on the whole it is the…
  5757. 97England and Karma Yoga. In the Kaliyuga, Karma Yoga or Bhakti Yoga?
  5758. 98Sri Ramakrishna, to Pratap: Attachment to worldly work isn't found only in England. It's found everywhere. But do you know? Work is only the first ste…
  5759. 99But one cannot give up work altogether. Your own nature will make you work, whether you wish it or not. That is why it is said, work without attachmen…
  5760. 100"To work unattached in this way is called karma yoga. It is very hard. For one thing it is the Kaliyuga; attachment creeps in so easily. You think, 'I…
  5761. 101A devotee: For those who have not yet found God, what is the way? Should they give up all worldly work?
  5762. 102Sri Ramakrishna: For the Kaliyuga, bhakti yoga: the devotion taught by Narada. To sing the name and the glories of God and to pray in longing: "O God,…
  5763. 103"There's no way of giving up work. 'I am thinking,' 'I am meditating': that too is work. When you attain devotion, worldly work falls away of itself.…
  5764. 104A devotee: The people of England keep saying, "Work, work!" Isn't work the goal of life, then?
  5765. 105Sri Ramakrishna: To attain God is the goal of life. Work is only the first chapter; it can never be life's goal. But work without desire is a means; i…
  5766. 106"Sambhu said to me, 'Now bless me, that the money I have may be well spent, on hospitals and dispensaries, on making roads and ghats, on digging wells…
  5767. 107"That is why I say work is only the first step. Work is not the goal of life. Go forward through spiritual practice. As you practise and press on furt…
  5768. 108A woodcutter once went into the forest to cut wood. Suddenly he met a brahmachari. The brahmachari said, "Listen, go forward!" When the woodcutter got…
  5769. 109"Some days passed like this. One day, as he was sitting there, he remembered the brahmachari's words. Then he thought, 'Today I'll go on further.' Goi…
  5770. 110"Some days passed like this. Another day he remembered: the brahmachari said, 'Go forward.' Then he went into the forest again, went on further and fo…
  5771. 111"Again some days passed. One day as he sat thinking: 'The brahmachari never said to stop at the silver mine; what he said was, go forward.' This time…
  5772. 112"Again, some days later, he went on further and found diamonds and rubies lying in heaps. Then he had riches like Kubera's!
  5773. 113"So I say, whatever you do, if you go forward you will find better things still. Don't think, because you have felt a little awakening after a little…
  5774. 114"If one goes on further still, God will be attained. He will be seen. And by degrees there will be talk and conversation with Him.
  5775. 115Now the talk turned to the quarrel over the pulpit of the temple after Keshab's passing into heaven.
  5776. 116Sri Ramakrishna, to Pratap: "I hear you've had a quarrel over the pulpit. The people who quarrelled with you are all just Hare, Pyala and Pancha!" Eve…
  5777. 117To the devotees: "Look, Pratap, Amrita, these are conches; they sound. But the others you hear of have no sound at all." Everyone laughed.
  5778. 118Pratap: Sir, if it's a question of sounding, the stone of a mango sounds too.
  5779. 119Chapter Seven
  5780. 120The Brahmo Samaj and Sri Ramakrishna. Teaching to Pratap
  5781. 121Sri Ramakrishna, to Pratap: "You see, when you hear a lecture in your Brahmo Samaj you can tell very well what the man is like. They once took me to a…
  5782. 122A devotee: "There are no horses, of course; and no cows either!" Everyone laughed.
  5783. 123Sri Ramakrishna: Just think of it! He who is Rasa itself, the very essence of sweetness, they call "dry"! It only shows that they have never felt what…
  5784. 124"I Am the Doer" and "My House" Are Ignorance. The Goal of Life: "Dive Deep"
  5785. 125Sri Ramakrishna, to Pratap: Look, let me tell you something. You are an educated man, intelligent, of a deep nature. You and Keshab were like Gaur and…
  5786. 126Pratap: Yes, sir, there's no doubt of that; that is what one ought to do. But all this is being done so that his name may live!
  5787. 127Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: Yes, you say you're doing it all so that his name will last; but in a few days even this feeling won't be there. Listen to…
  5788. 128A man had a hut on a hill. Just a hut. He had built it with a great deal of labour. Some days later a fierce storm came! The hut began to shake. He gr…
  5789. 129To Pratap: You don't have to protect Keshab's name. Know that whatever has happened has happened by the will of God. By His will it came, and by His w…
  5790. 130Saying this, the Master sings a sweet song in that voice beyond compare:
  5791. 131Dive deep, dive deep, dive deep, O my mind, into the ocean of Beauty! Search the lowest depths, the nether world, and you will find the treasure, the…
  5792. 132To Pratap: Did you hear the song? Lectures and quarrels: you've had plenty of all that; now dive deep. And there's no fear of dying when you dive into…
  5793. 133Pratap: Sir, who is Narendra?
  5794. 134Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, he's a young lad. I said to Narendra: "Look, God is an ocean of sweetness. Don't you want to dive into this ocean of sweetness? W…
  5795. 135To the devotees: "'I' and 'mine': this is what is called ignorance. What people say is that Rasmani built the Kali temple. No one says that God built…
  5796. 136"To love those things, saying 'My things, my things': that is maya. To love everyone is daya, compassion. To love only the people of the Brahmo Samaj,…
  5797. 137"Through maya a man is bound; he turns away from God. Through compassion one attains God. Sukadeva, Narada and others kept compassion.
  5798. 138Chapter Eight
  5799. 139Teaching to Pratap. The Brahmo Samaj and Woman and Gold
  5800. 140Pratap: Are those who are with you, sir, making progress little by little?
  5801. 141Sri Ramakrishna: I say, what's wrong with living in the world? But live in the world like a maidservant.
  5802. 142The Householder's Spiritual Practice
  5803. 143"A maidservant speaks of her master's house as 'our house.' But her own home is perhaps in some village. Pointing at her master's house she says, 'Our…
  5804. 144"So I tell those who come here: Why not live in the world? There's no harm in it! But live in it with your mind on God; know: 'House, home and family…
  5805. 145The talk turned to England again. A devotee said, "Sir, they say the learned men of England nowadays don't accept that God exists."
  5806. 146Pratap: Whatever they may say with their lips, I don't think any of them is an atheist at heart. Many have been obliged to accept that a great Power s…
  5807. 147Sri Ramakrishna: Then that's enough. They accept Sakti, don't they? Why should they be atheists?
  5808. 148Pratap: Besides, the learned men of Europe accept a moral government too (that good deeds are rewarded and sin is punished in this world).
  5809. 149After much talk Pratap rose to take his leave.
  5810. 150Sri Ramakrishna, to Pratap: What more shall I tell you? Only this: don't stay in the midst of quarrels and disputes any more.
  5811. 151"And one thing more. It is woman and gold that turns a man away from God. They don't let him go that way. Look, everyone praises his own wife!" Everyo…
  5812. 152Pratap: Then I'll take my leave.
  5813. 153Pratap went away. The Master's nectar-like words, his words on giving up woman and gold, were not finished. The leaves of the trees in Surendra's gard…
  5814. 154But did these words not echo in Pratap's heart?
  5815. 155A little later Sri Manilal Mallick says to the Master: "Sir, please start for Dakshineswar now. Keshab Sen's mother and the ladies of his house are go…
  5816. 156It is some months since Keshab passed into heaven. So his aged mother, his wife and the other ladies of the house are going to see the Master.
  5817. 157Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani Mallick: Wait a bit, my good man; for one thing, I haven't had any sleep; I can't hurry. They've gone; what can I do about it…
  5818. 158After resting a little while the Master sets out; he is going to Dakshineswar. As he leaves he is thinking of Surendra's welfare. He goes into each ro…
  5819. 159The devotees are all laughing.
  5820. 1Section Fourteen
  5821. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Dakshineswar temple with Surendra, Bhavanath, Rakhal, Latu, M., Adhar and other devotees
  5822. 3Chapter One
  5823. 4The Characters of Baburam, Rakhal, Latu, Niranjan, Narendra and Others
  5824. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in his own room in the Dakshineswar temple garden. Evening has come, and so he is chanting the name of th…
  5825. 6Today is Friday, the twelfth day of the dark fortnight of Jyaishtha, 20 June 1884. In five days the Car Festival will be held.
  5826. 7A little later the arati began in the temple garden, and Adhar went to watch it. The Master was talking with Mani and, in his joy, telling him stories…
  5827. 8Sri Ramakrishna: Well, does Baburam have any wish to go on with his studies?
  5828. 9"I said to Baburam, 'Study, to teach people. After Sita was rescued, Bibhishana would not agree to rule the kingdom. Rama said: rule it for the teachi…
  5829. 10"Let me tell you, the other day I saw that Baburam, Bhavanath and Harish have the nature of a woman.
  5830. 11"I saw Baburam as the form of a goddess: a necklace at her throat, her companions about her. In a dream he has been given something; his body is pure.…
  5831. 12"You know, I am finding it hard to look after this body. It would be good if he came and stayed here. The nature of these boys is all changing in the…
  5832. 13"Rakhal's state has become such that I have to give him water to drink! He can hardly do any service (for me).
  5833. 14"Baburam and Niranjan: apart from these two, what boys are there? If anyone else comes, it seems to me he will take the teaching and go away.
  5834. 15"But I don't press him hard to come; there might be trouble at home." He smiled. "When I say, 'Come away, won't you?' he answers nicely, 'Then you bri…
  5835. 16"Rakhal now lives here like a son of the house; I know he will never be attached again. He says, 'All that tastes flat to me!' His wife came here; she…
  5836. 17"How does Niranjan strike you?"
  5837. 18M.: He has a fine face, sir!
  5838. 19Sri Ramakrishna: No, not only the face. He is guileless. When a man is guileless he reaches God easily. When a man is guileless, teaching soon takes e…
  5839. 20"Niranjan will not marry. What do you say: is it woman and gold that binds?"
  5840. 21M.: Yes, sir.
  5841. 22Sri Ramakrishna: What will a man gain by giving up betel and tobacco? Giving up woman and gold is the true giving up.
  5842. 23"I saw in bhava that though he is working at a job, no taint has touched him. He works for his mother's sake; in that there is no fault.
  5843. 24"As for the work you do, there is no fault in it. This is good work.
  5844. 25"A clerk went to prison: he was bound, he wore fetters, and then he was set free again. Once he is free, will he caper and dance about? Once again it…
  5845. 26Mani: If someone would take them on, one could let go.
  5846. 27Sri Ramakrishna: That is so. For now, do this and do that too.
  5847. 28Mani: It is a great fortune to be able to give up everything!
  5848. 29Sri Ramakrishna: That is so! But it goes by each man's samskaras. A little of your karma is still left. When that little is finished, there is peace;…
  5849. 30"The devotees who come here are of two classes. One class says: Save me! O God! The other class are my inner circle, and they don't talk like that. It…
  5850. 31"You belong to this second class. Otherwise, after doing all this * *
  5851. 32Narendra, Rakhal and Niranjan Have a Man's Nature; Baburam and Bhavanath a Woman's
  5852. 33"Bhavanath and Baburam have the nature of a woman. Harish sleeps in a woman's cloth. Baburam has said he likes that attitude. So it fits. Bhavanath to…
  5853. 34The Meaning of the Broken Arm; Siddhais and Sri Ramakrishna
  5854. 35M.'s footnote, in his own English: Miracles.
  5855. 36"Tell me, what is the meaning of my breaking my arm? Once before, in a state of bhava, I broke a tooth; this time, in a state of bhava, I broke my arm…
  5856. 37Seeing Mani silent, the Master went on himself:
  5857. 38"The arm broke so that every bit of ego should be rooted out! Now I can no longer find any I within. I go looking for it, and I see that He is there.…
  5858. 39"Look at the chatak bird: its nest is on the ground, but how high it soars!
  5859. 40"Well, the Captain says that I have no siddhais because I eat fish.
  5860. 41"Every now and then I tremble for fear such powers should come to me. If siddhais came now, this place would turn into a dispensary and a hospital. Pe…
  5861. 42M.: No, sir. You yourself have said that if a man has one of the eight siddhis he cannot reach God.
  5862. 43Sri Ramakrishna: You are right! It is the small-minded who want siddhais.
  5863. 44"A man who blurts out a request to a rich man is never held in regard by him again. The rich man won't let him ride in the same carriage; and if he do…
  5864. 45God with Form and Without Form Are Both True; the Devotees' Houses Are the Master's Meeting Places
  5865. 46"Well, God with form and God without form are both true. What do you say? The mind cannot be held long on the formless; that is why there is form, for…
  5866. 47"The Captain puts it well. When a bird has flown very high and grows tired, it comes back to a branch to rest. After the formless, form.
  5867. 48"I must come once to that haunt of yours. I saw in bhava that Adhar's house, Surendra's house and Balaram's house are all my haunts.
  5868. 49"But if they don't come here, I have no objection."
  5869. 50Even the Play with the Devotees Is the Magician's Show; the Chandi; Compassion Belongs to God
  5870. 51M.: Why should there be, sir? If a man feels pleasure he must feel pain. You are beyond pleasure and pain.
  5871. 52Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, and I see the magician and the magician's show. The magician alone is real. All his show is passing, like a dream.
  5872. 53"When I used to listen to the Chandi, that is what I felt. Just now Sumbha and Nisumbha were born; and a little later I heard that they had been destr…
  5873. 54M.: Yes, sir. I was going to Kalna by steamer with Gangadhar. A boat was struck by the steamer and a whole boatload of people, twenty or twenty-five,…
  5874. 55"But tell me, does one who is watching the show feel compassion? Does he have any sense of being the doer? Only if he has the sense of being the doer…
  5875. 56Sri Ramakrishna: He sees the whole of it at once: God, maya, the jiva and the world.
  5876. 57"He sees that maya (vidya maya and avidya maya), the jiva and the world are there and yet are not. As long as one's own 'I' remains, they remain too.…
  5877. 58Mani was pondering. Sri Ramakrishna said, "Do you know how it is? Like a flower with twenty-five tiers of petals, cut through at a single stroke!
  5878. 59"The sense of being the doer! Ram! Ram! Sukadeva and Sankaracharya kept the 'I' of knowledge. Compassion is not man's, compassion is God's. It is with…
  5879. 60A Very Secret Word: Kali Is Brahman; the Domain of the Primal Sakti; the Kalki Incarnation
  5880. 61"But see a thousand shows, you are still under Her (in Her power). There is no running away. You are not free. As She makes you act, so you must act.…
  5881. 62M.'s footnote, in his own English: Under.
  5882. 63"As long as there is the least bit of 'I', so long one is in the domain of the Primal Sakti. One is under Her; there is no getting beyond Her.
  5883. 64"It is with the help of the Primal Sakti that the Incarnation plays His part. By Her power comes the Incarnation; only then does the Incarnation do Hi…
  5884. 65"If anyone asked the former treasurer of the Kali temple for anything more than usual, he used to say, 'Come in two or three days.' He would ask the o…
  5885. 66"At the end of the Kali age the Kalki Incarnation will come. A brahmin's son, who knows nothing; and suddenly a horse and a sword will come to him..."
  5886. 67Keshab Sen's Mother and Sister; Bhuvanmohini the Nurse
  5887. 68Adhar came back from seeing the arati and sat down. Bhuvanmohini, a nurse, came now and then to see the Master. The Master could not eat what everyone…
  5888. 69Sri Ramakrishna, to Adhar and the other devotees: Bhuvan was here. She brought twenty-five Bombay mangoes, and sandesh and rasagolla. She said to me,…
  5889. 70"Keshab Sen's mother and sister were here. So I danced a little again. What else could I do? They have suffered a heavy grief."
  5890. 1Part One, Section Eleven
  5891. 2Chapter One
  5892. 3Sri Ramakrishna Visits the Pandit
  5893. 4Today is the Car Festival: Wednesday, the twenty-fifth of June, 1884, the bright second day of Ashadh. Thirty-four years have gone by since then. In t…
  5894. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in Ishan's drawing room on the ground floor. One or two brahmins from Bhatpara whom Ishan knows have come…
  5895. 6A little later Narendra and M. arrived from their homes in Calcutta. They bowed to the Master and sat down near him. The Master had told M., "On such…
  5896. 7The Master says to M., "The other day I was on my way to your house. At what address is that haunt of yours?"
  5897. 8M.: Now, sir, in the oil-men's quarter of Syampukur, near the school.
  5898. 9Sri Ramakrishna: You haven't gone to school today?
  5899. 10M.: No, sir. Today is a holiday for the Car Festival.
  5900. 11Since his father's death there has been great hardship in Narendra's home. He is the eldest son, with little brothers and sisters. His father was a la…
  5901. 12Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: I have told Ishan about you. Ishan once spent a day there, at the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, you see, so I spoke to hi…
  5902. 13Ishan has invited the Master and brought him here, and for the occasion he has invited a number of friends as well. There is to be singing; a pakhoaj,…
  5903. 14Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: Flour still! Then I suppose the meal is a long way off.
  5904. 15Ishan, smiling: No, sir, not so very long.
  5905. 16Some of the devotees were laughing. The Bhagavata pandit too laughed and recited a stray verse, and after reciting it he explained it. Poetry charms m…
  5906. 17Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: He has a fine taste, this one!
  5907. 18The pakhoaj was tuned, and Narendra began to sing.
  5908. 19The singing had hardly begun when the Master came away to the drawing room upstairs to rest, with M. and Srish. The drawing room looks out on the stre…
  5909. 20M. introduced Srish. He said, "He is a scholar, and very calm by nature. He and I studied together from childhood. He practises law."
  5910. 21Sri Ramakrishna: That a man like this should be a lawyer!
  5911. 22M.: He took that road by mistake.
  5912. 23Sri Ramakrishna: I have seen Ganesh the lawyer. He comes there, to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, now and then with the Babus. Panna comes too; he i…
  5913. 24Then, to Srish: What have you found to be the essence of things?
  5914. 25Srish: God is, and He alone does all things. But what we conceive His attributes to be is not right. What can man grasp about Him? It is an endless af…
  5915. 26Sri Ramakrishna: How many trees in the orchard, how many branches on the trees: what business have you with counting all that? You came into the orcha…
  5916. 27"You have come to drink wine. What business have you with how many maunds the wine-shop holds? A single glass and your work is done. What need have yo…
  5917. 28"You may reason about His attributes for ten million years and still know nothing of them.
  5918. 29The Master was silent a little while. Then he spoke again. One of the Bhatpara brahmins was also sitting there.
  5919. 30Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: There is nothing in the world. His household, Ishan's, is a good one, that's why. Otherwise, if the sons had been whoremongers…
  5920. 31"And yet, what fault is there in that? Woman and gold are on every side. So I say, 'Mother, if ever I have to take a body again, don't make me a house…
  5921. 32The brahmin from Bhatpara: What! But the householder's dharma is highly praised!
  5922. 33Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, but it is very hard.
  5923. 34The Master turned to something else.
  5924. 35Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Haven't we done wrong? They are singing, Narendra is singing, and we have all run away!
  5925. 36Chapter Two
  5926. 37In the Kaliyuga the Path of Bhakti, Not the Path of Works
  5927. 38At about four in the afternoon the Master got into the carriage. His body is very tender and is looked after with the greatest care, so walking along…
  5928. 39The carriage drew up before the house. At the door the master of the house and his relatives came out and welcomed him.
  5929. 40There was a staircase leading up, and then the drawing room. As soon as he reached the top, Sri Ramakrishna saw Shashadhar coming to receive him. The…
  5930. 41Everyone is eager to sit near him and drink the nectar of the words that come from his lips! Narendra, Rakhal, Ram, M. and many other devotees are the…
  5931. 42As the Master looked at the pandit he went into bhava. After a little while, still in that state, he looked towards the pandit, smiling, and said, "Go…
  5932. 43Shashadhar: Sir, I try to explain what the sastras say.
  5933. 44Sri Ramakrishna: For the Kaliyuga, the bhakti taught by Narada. Where is the time for all the works the sastras speak of? The fever of these days won'…
  5934. 45Worldly People and Lectures
  5935. 46Sri Ramakrishna: Give a thousand lectures, you can do nothing with worldly people. Will a nail go into a wall of stone? The head of the nail will brea…
  5936. 47New Love and Discrimination. Works Fall Away When God Is Realized. Yoga and Samadhi
  5937. 48"You can't tell who is a devotee and who is worldly. That is not your fault. When the storm first blows, you can't make out which is the tamarind tree…
  5938. 49"Until God is attained, no one can give up works all at once. How long must one go on with the sandhya and the other rites? Until tears flow and the h…
  5939. 50"When the fruit comes, the flower drops off. Bhakti is the fruit, works the flower. When the daughter-in-law of a house is with child she can't do muc…
  5940. 51Chapter Three
  5941. 52Mere Learning Is Vain. Spiritual Practice, Discrimination and Dispassion
  5942. 53As he spoke of samadhi, a change came over the Master. A heavenly light shone from his moon-like face. He was no longer conscious of the outer world.…
  5943. 54In bhava the Master began to say, "Mother! The other day You showed me Ishwar Vidyasagar. Then I said again, 'Mother, I want to see one more pandit',…
  5944. 55Then he looked at Shashadhar and said, "My son, gather a little more strength. Do sadhana and bhajana for some days more. You want the whole bunch bef…
  5945. 56With these words the Master bowed his head to Shashadhar in salutation.
  5946. 57He went on, "When I first heard of you, I asked whether this pandit was only a pandit, or whether he had discrimination and dispassion.
  5947. 58Without God's Command One Cannot Be a Teacher
  5948. 59"A pandit without discrimination is no pandit at all.
  5949. 60"If the command has come, then there is no harm in teaching people. If someone teaches people after receiving the command, no one can defeat him.
  5950. 61"If a single ray comes from the Goddess of Speech, it gives such power that great pandits become like earthworms!"
  5951. 62"When a lamp is lit, the insects of the rains come of themselves in swarms; they don't have to be called. In the same way, the one who has received th…
  5952. 63"Does the lodestone tell the iron, 'Come to me'? It needn't say so; the iron rushes to it of itself, drawn by the magnet!
  5953. 64"True, a man like that is no pandit. But don't think for that reason that he falls short in knowledge. Does knowledge come from reading books? There i…
  5954. 65"If the Mother once casts Her glance, can there be any want of knowledge? That is why I am asking whether you have received any command.
  5955. 66Hazra: Yes, of course he has received the command. Isn't that so, sir?
  5956. 67The pandit: No, the command? I have received nothing of the kind.
  5957. 68The host: True, he has received no command, but he lectures from a sense of duty.
  5958. 69Sri Ramakrishna: What good will the lectures of a man without the command do?
  5959. 70"There was a man, a Brahmo, who said in the course of a lecture, 'Brothers, how much wine I used to drink! I did this, I did that.' Hearing this, peop…
  5960. 71"A Sub-judge from Barisal once said to me, 'Sir, you start preaching, and then I too will gird up my loins.' I said, 'Listen to a story, my friend. In…
  5961. 72"So I say, when any Tom, Dick or Harry lectures, nothing comes of it. Only when a man wears the badge will people obey. Without the command of God, pe…
  5962. 73"Chaitanyadeva was an Incarnation. Tell me, how much of what he did still remains? And what good will come from the lectures of a man who has not rece…
  5963. 74How the Command Is Received
  5964. 75Sri Ramakrishna: "That is why I say, be lost in God's lotus feet!" Saying this, the Master, drunk with love, began to sing:
  5965. 76Dive, dive, dive deep, my mind, into the sea of Beauty; Search its depths, its fathomless deeps, and you will find the treasure, the jewel of love.
  5966. 77Sri Ramakrishna: One does not die by drowning in this sea; it is the sea of immortality.
  5967. 78Teaching to Narendra: God Is the Sea of Immortality
  5968. 79"I said to Narendra, 'God is the sea of bliss. Tell me, will you dive into that sea or not? Suppose a bowl is full of syrup and you have become a fly.…
  5969. 80"Once God is attained, what is there to worry about? Then the command will come too, and the teaching of people as well.
  5970. 81Chapter Four
  5971. 82The Endless Paths to God. The Path of Bhakti Is the Dharma of the Age
  5972. 83Sri Ramakrishna: You see, there are endless ways of going to the sea of immortality. If only you can get into that sea somehow, it is enough. Suppose…
  5973. 84"There are endless paths. Among them are knowledge, works and devotion; whichever path you take, if you are sincere you will reach God. Broadly speaki…
  5974. 85"Jnanayoga: the jnani wants to know Brahman. He reasons, 'Not this, not this.' He reasons that Brahman is real and the world unreal. He sifts the real…
  5975. 86"Karmayoga is keeping the mind on God by means of work. It is what you are teaching.
  5976. 87"Pranayama, meditation, concentration and the like, done without attachment, are karmayoga. If a householder does the work of the world without attach…
  5977. 88"Bhaktiyoga is singing the kirtan of God's name and qualities and so keeping the mind fixed on Him. For the Kaliyuga bhaktiyoga is the easy path. Bhak…
  5978. 89"Karmayoga is very hard. In the first place, as I told you before, where is the time? Where is the time for all the works the sastras tell us to do? I…
  5979. 90"Jnanayoga too is very hard in this age. In the first place, the life of the jiva depends on food; and then life is short. And the consciousness of th…
  5980. 91Neither Jnanayoga nor Karmayoga Is the Dharma of the Age
  5981. 92"So for this age it is bhaktiyoga! By it one reaches God more easily than by other paths. One may reach God by jnanayoga or karmayoga or other paths t…
  5982. 93"Bhaktiyoga is the dharma of the age. That does not mean that the devotee will reach one place and the jnani or the worker another. It means that whoe…
  5983. 94Does the Devotee Attain the Knowledge of Brahman? What Works the Devotee Does and What He Prays For
  5984. 95"The devotee wants to see God with form and to talk with Him; as a rule he does not want the knowledge of Brahman. But God can do as He wills; if it p…
  5985. 96"The point is this: how am I to get to Calcutta now?
  5986. 97"If you attain the Mother of the Universe you will have devotion, and knowledge too. You will have knowledge, and devotion too. In bhava samadhi one s…
  5987. 98"The devotee says, 'Mother, I am very much afraid of works done with desire. Desire lies in such works, and if I do them I must reap their fruit. And…
  5988. 99Chapter Five
  5989. 100Pilgrimage and Sri Ramakrishna. The Three Classes of Teachers
  5990. 101The pandit: How far did you go on pilgrimage, sir?
  5991. 102Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, I have seen a few places." Then, smiling: "Hazra went a long way, and he climbed very high too. He went to Hrishikesh." Everyon…
  5992. 103"Kites and vultures soar very high too, but their eyes are on the charnel-ground." Everyone laughed. "Do you know what that charnel-ground is? Woman a…
  5993. 104"If you can gain devotion sitting here, what need is there to go on pilgrimage? I went to Kasi and saw the same trees, the same tamarind leaves!
  5994. 105"If one goes on pilgrimage and gains no devotion, the pilgrimage has borne no fruit. And devotion is the essence, the one thing needful. Do you know w…
  5995. 106The pandit: Yes, sir. Going on pilgrimage, sir, is like leaving the Kaustubha gem behind and wandering about in search of other diamonds and rubies.
  5996. 107Sri Ramakrishna: "And know this too: give a thousand teachings, but unless the time is ripe they will bear no fruit. A little boy, going to bed, said…
  5997. 108"In the same way, longing for God comes only when the right time has come.
  5998. 109Teaching According to the Fitness of the Hearer. Is God Merciful?
  5999. 110"There are three kinds of physician.
  6000. 111"One kind feels the pulse, prescribes the medicine and goes away, telling the patient only, 'Take the medicine, will you.' These are physicians of the…
  6001. 112"In the same way some teachers give their teaching and go, but they don't look to see whether it has done people good or harm. They don't concern them…
  6002. 113"There are some physicians who prescribe the medicine and tell the patient to take it, and if the patient does not want to take it, they reason with h…
  6003. 114"And then there are the best physicians. If the patient will not listen to sweet words, they go so far as to use force. If need be, they press a knee…
  6004. 115The pandit: Sir, if there are teachers of the highest class, why did you say that knowledge does not come until the time is ripe?
  6005. 116Sri Ramakrishna: That is true. But suppose the medicine doesn't go down into the stomach, suppose it runs out of the mouth; what can the physician do…
  6006. 117Sri Ramakrishna: One must give teaching according to the fitness of the hearer. You people don't give it according to fitness. When a young man comes…
  6007. 118The pandit: Yes, sir, I am listening to it all.
  6008. 119Sri Ramakrishna: Once a number of Sikh sepoys came to the temple garden. I met them in front of Mother Kali's temple. One of them said, "God is mercif…
  6009. 120Narendra: Then are we not to call Him merciful?
  6010. 121Sri Ramakrishna: Am I forbidding you to call Him merciful? My meaning is this: God is our own, not someone outside the family!
  6011. 122The pandit: Priceless words!
  6012. 123Sri Ramakrishna: I was hearing you sing, but it gave me no pleasure, and so I got up and went. I said, this is the state of a man looking for a job; t…
  6013. 124Narendra was abashed, and his face flushed a little. He remained silent.
  6014. 125Chapter Six
  6015. 126The Leave-taking
  6016. 127The Master asked for some water. There was a glass of water set beside him, yet he was unable to drink from it, and he asked for another glass to be b…
  6017. 128The pandit, to Hazra: You people live with him day and night; you live in great bliss.
  6018. 129Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "Today is a great day for me! I have seen the moon of the second day." Everyone laughed. "Do you know why I said the moon o…
  6019. 130The Master rose. With his friends the pandit bowed down to him with devotion. The Master took his leave with the devotees.
  6020. 131Chapter Seven
  6021. 132The Master returned with the devotees to Ishan's house. It was not yet dusk. He came and sat in Ishan's drawing room downstairs. Some of the devotees…
  6022. 133Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: I told Shashadhar, "You want the whole bunch before you've even climbed the tree. Do some more sadhana and bhajana, and then…
  6023. 134Ishan: Everyone thinks he is teaching people. The glow-worm thinks it is lighting up the world. Someone said to it, "O glow-worm, what light can you g…
  6024. 135Sri Ramakrishna, with a faint smile: But he is not only a pandit; he has a little discrimination and dispassion.
  6025. 136The Bhagavata pandit from Bhatpara was still sitting there. He must have been seventy or seventy-five. He had been gazing steadily at the Master.
  6026. 137The Bhagavata pandit, to Sri Ramakrishna: You are a mahatma.
  6027. 138Sri Ramakrishna: You may say that of Narada, Prahlada, Sukadeva and their like; I am like your child.
  6028. 139"But in one sense you may say it. It is said that the devotee is greater than God, because the devotee carries God about in his heart." Everyone was d…
  6029. 140The Master is about to return to Dakshineswar. He has come out and is standing on the south verandah of the drawing room downstairs. Ishan and the oth…
  6030. 141Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: He who calls on God while living in the world is a hero among devotees. The Lord says, "He who has given up the world will…
  6031. 142The Bhagavata pandit: That is just what the sastras say, in the story of the righteous hunter and the story of the faithful wife. An ascetic thought,…
  6032. 143"He went to the righteous hunter for the knowledge of Brahman. The hunter sold the meat of animals, but day and night he served his father and mother,…
  6033. 144The Master will now get into the carriage. He is standing at the door of the house next door, the house of Ishan's father-in-law. Ishan and the devote…
  6034. 145"Water and milk are together: the bliss of Consciousness and the taste of worldly things! Be like the swan, take only the milk and leave the water.
  6035. 146"And be like the water-bird; water touches its body, and it shakes it off. And be like the mud-fish: it lives in the mud, yet look, its skin is clean…
  6036. 147"In the golmal, the hubbub, there is mal, the goods: leave the gol and take the mal."
  6037. 148The Master got into the carriage and set out for Dakshineswar.
  6038. 1Section Nine
  6039. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar with Pandit Shashadhar and Other Devotees
  6040. 3Chapter One
  6041. 4Kali Is Brahman: Brahman and Sakti Are One
  6042. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees on the floor of that same room of his, already well known to us, and near him is Pandit Shashadhar. A mat…
  6043. 6Today is Monday, the thirtieth of June, 1884. Six days ago, on the day of the holy Car Festival, the Master met Pandit Shashadhar in Calcutta and talk…
  6044. 7The pandit is a follower of the path of knowledge. The Master is explaining to him that the Nitya and the Lila belong to one and the same Being; He wh…
  6045. 8The Master is drunk with the bliss of divine love. In that voice of his, which would put the gandharvas to shame, he is singing; he is singing one son…
  6046. 9Who knows what Kali is? The six systems cannot catch a glimpse of Her.
  6047. 10Song: Is my Mother the daughter of an ordinary mother? Mahesa lives by chanting Her name, though he drank the deadly poison. Creation, preservation an…
  6048. 11Song: Is my Mother only Siva's wife? Even Time's own Destroyer bows down to Her. Naked, She slays the enemy; She stands upon Mahakala's heart. Tell me…
  6049. 12Song: I do not drink wine; I drink nectar, crying, "Victory to Kali!" It makes my mind drunk, and the drunkards call me drunk. With the seed my guru g…
  6050. 13Song: Does everyone gain the treasure that is Syama? My foolish mind will not see what a trouble this is. To lose the mind in Her crimson feet is a fe…
  6051. 14The Master's ecstasy has abated a little and his singing has stopped. He sits silent for a while. He has gone and sat down on the small bedstead.
  6052. 15The pandit is enchanted by the songs. Very humbly he says to the Master, "Will there be more singing?"
  6053. 16After a little while the Master sings again:
  6054. 17In the sky of Syama's feet the kite of my mind was flying; Then came the ill wind of sin; it spun about and fell.
  6055. 18Song: This time I have thought it out well. From one who thinks well I have learnt how to think. I have found a man from the land where there is no ni…
  6056. 19Song: I have given my life to the feet that free from fear. Do I keep any fear of Yama now? On the crown of my head I have tied the great mantra, the…
  6057. 20Hearing the words "I have bought the name of Durga", the pandit sheds tears. The Master sings again:
  6058. 21Song: I have planted in my heart the wish-fulfilling tree of Kali's name. When Yama comes this time, I'll lay my heart open before him; for that I sit…
  6059. 22Song: Mind, stay within yourself; do not go to anyone else's house. Whatever you want you will find sitting where you are; (O mind,) search your own i…
  6060. 23When the song is over the Master says that bhakti is greater than mukti:
  6061. 24Song: I am not loath to give liberation, But I am loath to give pure love. Whoever gains My love wins service of Me; Who can match him? He has conquer…
  6062. 25Chapter Two
  6063. 26Study of the Scriptures and Learning Are Vain; Austerity Is Needed; the Vijnani
  6064. 27The pandit has read the Vedas and other scriptures and practises the discipline of knowledge. The Master, sitting on the small bedstead, is watching h…
  6065. 28Sri Ramakrishna, to the pandit: There are many scriptures, the Vedas and the rest; but without spiritual practice, without austerity, God cannot be re…
  6066. 29"'He is not seen in the six systems, nor in the Agamas, the Nigamas or the Tantrasara.'
  6067. 30"Still, one should learn what the scriptures say and then act on it. A man had lost a letter. He could not remember where he had put it. So he took a…
  6068. 31The Art of Teaching: Reading, Hearing and Seeing Compared
  6069. 32"To hear is better than to read; to see is better than to hear. When you hear a thing from the guru's own mouth, or a holy man's, it takes deeper hold…
  6070. 33"Hanuman said, 'Brother, I know nothing of lunar days and constellations and all that; I only think of Rama.'
  6071. 34"Seeing is better still than hearing. When you see, every doubt goes. There is a great deal in the scriptures, to be sure; but unless God is realized,…
  6072. 35How Long Is Reasoning Needed? Until God Is Seen; Who Is the Vijnani?
  6073. 36"How long does one reason over the scriptures? Until God is realized. How long does the bee hum? Until it settles on the flower. Once it settles on th…
  6074. 37"But there is one thing: talk may go on even after the vision of God. But then it is only talk of the bliss of God, like a drunkard's crying 'Victory…
  6075. 38In speaking of the vijnani the Master is perhaps hinting at his own state.
  6076. 39"The jnani reasons, 'Not this, not this.' Where, reasoning so, he finds bliss, that is Brahman.
  6077. 40"What is the jnani like by nature? The jnani goes by the rules.
  6078. 41"They once took me to Chanak. There I saw a number of sadhus. Some of them were sewing." Everyone laughed. "When we came they put all that away. Then…
  6079. 42"But unless you ask them about God, the jnanis will not talk of such things. First, you see, they will ask, 'How are you? Kaisa hai? How is everyone a…
  6080. 43"But the vijnani's nature is quite another thing. His nature is free and easy: his cloth perhaps loose, or tucked under his arm, like a child's!
  6081. 44"He who has come to know that God exists is called a jnani. He who knows for certain that there is fire in the wood is a jnani. But he who lights the…
  6082. 45"But for the vijnani the eight fetters fall away; lust, anger and the rest remain only in form."
  6083. 46The pandit: "The knot of the heart is broken, all doubts are cut asunder."
  6084. 47Old Days: The Visit to Krishnakishore's House; the Master's State as a Vijnani
  6085. 48Sri Ramakrishna: Yes. A ship was sailing on the ocean. Suddenly all its ironwork, its nails and screws, began to work loose and fly out. There was a m…
  6086. 49"I used to go to Krishnakishore's house. One day I had gone there, and he asked me, 'Why do you eat betel?' I answered, 'I shall chew betel as I pleas…
  6087. 50"When this state comes, lust, anger and the rest are burnt up. Nothing happens to the body; to look at, it is like anyone else's body, but within it i…
  6088. 51A devotee: Does the body still remain after one has seen God?
  6089. 52Sri Ramakrishna: In some it remains for the sake of some work: to teach men. By bathing in the Ganges one's sins go and one is liberated, but the blin…
  6090. 53The pandit: That is what is called samskara.
  6091. 54Sri Ramakrishna: The vijnani sees God all the time; that is why his manner is so free and easy. Even with open eyes he sees Him. At times he comes dow…
  6092. 55The pandit: I don't understand that.
  6093. 56Sri Ramakrishna: By reasoning "Not this, not this," one reaches the eternal, indivisible Satchidananda. They reason in this way: He is not the jiva, n…
  6094. 57"You set milk to curd and churn it to take out the butter. But when the butter has been taken out you see that the buttermilk belongs to the butter an…
  6095. 58The pandit, to Bhudhar, smiling: Did you follow that? It is very hard to follow!
  6096. 59Sri Ramakrishna: Where there is butter there is buttermilk too. If you think of the butter you have to think of the buttermilk along with it, because…
  6097. 60"It is He who has become everything; so for the vijnani 'this world is a house of fun.' For the jnani 'this world is a framework of illusion.' Rampras…
  6098. 61This world is a house of fun; I eat and drink here and make merry. O Vaidya, you have no sense; you understand only the rough of it. King Janaka was m…
  6099. 62Everyone laughed.
  6100. 63"The vijnani has enjoyed the bliss of God in a special way. Of milk, some have only heard, some have seen it, some have tasted it. The vijnani has tas…
  6101. 64The Master fell silent for a little and asked the pandit to have a smoke. The pandit went out to the long verandah on the south-east to smoke.
  6102. 65Chapter Three
  6103. 66Jnana and Vijnana: the Master and the Rishis of the Vedas
  6104. 67The pandit returned and took his seat once more among the devotees on the floor. Sitting on the small bedstead, the Master resumed his talk.
  6105. 68Sri Ramakrishna, to the pandit: Let me tell you this. Bliss is of three kinds: vishayananda, bhajanananda and brahmananda. The joy that people are alw…
  6106. 69"Chaitanyadeva used to pass through three states: the inmost state, the half-outward state and the outward state. In the inmost state, seeing God, he…
  6107. 70Hazra, to the pandit: There, now all your doubts are cleared away.
  6108. 71Sri Ramakrishna, to the pandit: What is samadhi? It is where the mind is dissolved. The jnani has jada samadhi; the "I" does not remain. The samadhi o…
  6109. 72The pandit: And if He dissolves every "I"? What if He turns you into sugar?
  6110. 73Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Speak out what is in your mind. 'Mother Kausalya, tell it plainly just once!'" Everyone laughed. "But are there not Narada,…
  6111. 74The pandit: Yes, sir, they are in the scriptures.
  6112. 75Sri Ramakrishna: Though they were jnanis, they kept "the devotee's I". Haven't you read the Bhagavata?
  6113. 76The pandit: Some of it; not the whole.
  6114. 77Sri Ramakrishna: Pray. He is full of compassion. Does He not listen to His devotee? He is the wish-fulfilling tree. Whatever anyone goes to Him and as…
  6115. 78The pandit: I never gave much thought to all this before. Now I understand it all.
  6116. 79Sri Ramakrishna: Even after the knowledge of Brahman, God leaves a little of the "I". That "I" is "the devotee's I", "the I of knowledge". Because of…
  6117. 80The Rishis Were Timid: A New Light on the Vedanta
  6118. 81"The rishis were timid. Do you know what their attitude was? 'I am getting across somehow; why should anyone else come along?' A worthless log floats…
  6119. 82"Narada and the other teachers are vijnanis, bolder than the other rishis. They are like a seasoned player who can play a game of dice exactly as he h…
  6120. 83"Those who are mere jnanis are timid. They are like the raw players at chess, who think, 'If only I can somehow get my piece home once!' The vijnani i…
  6121. 84"When one thinks on Him, there is bliss if the mind merges in the Indivisible; and there is bliss too if the mind does not merge but is kept on the Li…
  6122. 85"The mere jnani is one-sided. He keeps reasoning, 'Not this, not this; it is all like a dream.' But I have let go with both hands, and so I accept eve…
  6123. 86"A woman once went to visit a friend. The friend was spinning thread at the time, silk thread of many kinds. Seeing her visitor, she began to rejoice…
  6124. 87"She said, 'Sister, we are meeting after so many days. Today is a day of great joy. I so long for the two of us to dance.' The other said, 'Sister, I…
  6125. 88"I don't keep my hand pressed to my side; I have let go with both hands. I have no fear. That is why I take both, the Nitya and the Lila."
  6126. 89Is the Master saying that the jnani cannot dance with both hands raised because he still has the desire to be honoured by men, the desire for liberati…
  6127. 90Sri Ramakrishna: I told Keshab Sen, "Unless you give up the 'I', nothing will come of it." He said, "Then, sir, there will be no party left." So I sai…
  6128. 91"Sankaracharya kept 'the I of knowledge' for the sake of teaching men.
  6129. 92The "I of the Devotee" after the Knowledge of Brahman: the Gopis' Love
  6130. 93"Even after the knowledge of Brahman He keeps in many 'the I of knowledge', 'the devotee's I'. After Hanuman had realized God with form and without fo…
  6131. 94"Yasoda, stricken with grief at separation from Krishna, went to Radha. Seeing her suffering, Radha appeared to her in her true form and said, 'Krishn…
  6132. 95"The gopis once wanted to see the Lord's divine form. Krishna told them to dip in the Jamuna. No sooner had they dipped than all of them were in Vaiku…
  6133. 96"Before He left for Mathura, Krishna tried to give them the knowledge of Brahman. He said, 'I am within all beings and outside them. Do you see only o…
  6134. 97"Do you know what the gopis' attitude was? 'We belong to Radha, and Radha belongs to us.'"
  6135. 98A devotee: Does this "devotee's I" never go altogether?
  6136. 99Sri Ramakrishna and the Vedanta
  6137. 100Sri Ramakrishna: That "I" goes now and then. Then the knowledge of Brahman comes and one passes into samadhi. Mine goes too, but not for good. Sa, re,…
  6138. 101The pandit: Will He listen if we say it?
  6139. 102Sri Ramakrishna: God is the wish-fulfilling tree. Whatever anyone asks for, he will get. But you must ask staying close to the wish-fulfilling tree; t…
  6140. 103"But there is one thing: He takes the heart's feeling. Whatever a man has in mind when he practises, that is what he becomes. As the feeling, so the g…
  6141. 104"I used to weep and say, 'Mother, let a thunderbolt strike my reasoning mind!'"
  6142. 105The pandit: Then you too had the reasoning mind.
  6143. 106Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, once I had it.
  6144. 107The pandit: Then tell us how, and ours will go too. How did yours go?
  6145. 108Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, it went somehow.
  6146. 109Chapter Four
  6147. 110The Vision of God Is the Goal of Life; the Way to It
  6148. 111Splendour and Sweetness: Some Do Not Want to Know God's Splendour
  6149. 112The Master sat silent for some time. Then he went on talking.
  6150. 113Sri Ramakrishna: God is the wish-fulfilling tree. You must ask staying close to Him. Then whatever you ask, you receive.
  6151. 114"How much God has made! His endless universe, His endless splendour: what need have I to know about all that? And if you do want to know, you must fir…
  6152. 115"Some do not want to know about God's splendour. What do I care how many maunds of wine the tavern holds? A single bottle does for me. Why should such…
  6153. 116The Path of Knowledge Is Very Hard; the Incarnations and Their Like Are Ever-Perfect
  6154. 117"Bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, all these are paths. Whichever path you take, you will reach Him. The path of bhakti is the easy path. The path of knowledge…
  6155. 118"What need is there to reason so much over which path is better? I talked with Vijay for a long time. I told Vijay that a man used to pray, 'O God! Wh…
  6156. 119"The path of knowledge and reasoning is hard. Parvati showed herself to the king of the mountains in many divine forms and said to him, 'Father, if yo…
  6157. 120"What Brahman is cannot be told in words. The Rama Gita says that He can be described only by indication, as one speaks of 'the cowherds' village on t…
  6158. 121"Why should one not realize Brahman without form? But it is very hard. It cannot happen while there is the least trace of worldly-mindedness. Only whe…
  6159. 122The pandit: "He is to be realized as 'He is'," and so on.
  6160. 123Sri Ramakrishna: To reach Him one has to take up some one attitude: the attitude of a hero, or of a woman friend or handmaid, or of a child.
  6161. 124Mani Mallick: Then it will hold firm.
  6162. 125Sri Ramakrishna: For a long time I lived in the attitude of a woman friend. I used to say, "I am a handmaid of the blissful Mother, of Brahmamayi. O h…
  6163. 126"Some realize God without spiritual practice; they are called ever-perfect. Those who have realized God through japa, austerity and other disciplines…
  6164. 127"Then there are those who become perfect all of a sudden, like a poor man's son who catches the eye of a rich man. The rich man gives him his daughter…
  6165. 128"And there are those who become perfect in a dream: they see God in a dream."
  6166. 129Surendra, smiling: Then let us go to sleep now, and later we shall become rich men.
  6167. 130Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: "But you are a rich man already. Put the vowel sign 'a' on 'k' and you get 'ka'. To add another 'a' is useless; you would s…
  6168. 131"The ever-perfect are a class apart. They are like the arani wood: rub it a little and there is fire, and it comes even without rubbing. With a little…
  6169. 132"But the ever-perfect practise disciplines after they have realized God. It is like the gourd and the pumpkin plant: first comes the fruit, and then t…
  6170. 133The pandit laughed to hear that on the gourd and the pumpkin the fruit comes first.
  6171. 134Sri Ramakrishna: And the ever-perfect are like the homa bird. Its mother lives high up in the sky. Once it is born, the chick falls towards the earth,…
  6172. 135Is the Master explaining his own state when he speaks of the ever-perfect and gives the examples of the arani wood and the homa bird?
  6173. 136The Master is pleased to see how humble the pandit is. He talks to the devotees about the pandit's nature.
  6174. 137Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: His nature is very nice. A nail goes into a mud wall without any trouble. On a stone the nail's point breaks, yet no…
  6175. 138Practice Is Better than Learning: Discrimination
  6176. 139The pandit: "But you can spear a crocodile in the belly." Everyone laughed.
  6177. 140Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "What will come of reading heaps of scriptures? Phalajaphi, philosophy!" Everyone laughed.
  6178. 141The pandit, smiling: Phalajaphi it is!
  6179. 142Sri Ramakrishna: What good is big talk? When you learn archery you must first take aim at a banana tree, next a reed, next a wick, and last of all a b…
  6180. 143"So first you must steady the mind on God with form.
  6181. 144"And there are devotees beyond the three gunas, the eternal devotees like Narada. In that bhakti Syam is made of Spirit, the abode is made of Spirit,…
  6182. 145"Those who reason 'Not this, not this' along the path of knowledge do not accept the Incarnation. Hazra puts it well: the Incarnation is for the devot…
  6183. 146The Master and the devotees all sat silent for a while. Then the pandit spoke.
  6184. 147The pandit: Sir, how is one to get rid of this hardness? When I see laughter I think of muscles and nerves. When I see grief I think of how the nervou…
  6185. 148Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That is just what Narayan Shastri used to say: "That is the trouble with reading the scriptures: it brings in all this argui…
  6186. 149The pandit: Sir, is there no way at all? Just a little softness...
  6187. 150Sri Ramakrishna: There is: discrimination. There is a song that says:
  6188. 151"Ask the truth of her son, whose name is Discrimination."
  6189. 152"Discrimination, renunciation and love of God: this is the way. Without discrimination one's words never come out quite right. After much expounding,…
  6190. 153Smiling: "You are a chhanabara just fried. Now if you soak in the syrup for a few days, it will be good for you and good for others too! Just a few da…
  6191. 154The pandit, smiling a little: The chhanabara has been burnt to charcoal.
  6192. 155Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: No, no; it has turned the colour of a cockroach.
  6193. 156Hazra: It is nicely fried now; it will soak up the syrup well.
  6194. 157Old Days: Totapuri's Teaching; the Meaning of the Gita; Be Restless for God
  6195. 158Sri Ramakrishna: Look, one needn't read a great many scriptures. If you read too much, argument and reasoning creep in. The Naked One used to teach me…
  6196. 159"The way is discrimination, renunciation and love of God. What sort of love? The soul restless for God, as restless as the cow that runs after its cal…
  6197. 160The pandit: The Vedas say exactly that: as the cow calls for her calf, so do we call on You.
  6198. 161Sri Ramakrishna: Weep with longing. And if anyone can bring discrimination and renunciation and give up everything, he will realize God.
  6199. 162"When that longing comes, a kind of madness comes, whether you are on the path of knowledge or on the path of bhakti. Durvasa had the madness of knowl…
  6200. 163"There is a great difference between the knowledge of the worldly man and the knowledge of one who has renounced everything. The worldly man's knowled…
  6201. 164In describing Chaitanyadeva's state, is the Master describing his own?
  6202. 165Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga: Narada's Bhakti for the Kaliyuga
  6203. 166"There is the consciousness that turns towards negation and the consciousness that turns towards bhava. There is one path, of bhava and bhakti, and on…
  6204. 167"Bhava and negation are both paths. As many views, so many paths. But there is one thing: for the Kaliyuga, the bhakti taught by Narada is the ordaine…
  6205. 168The pandit: Sir, if one tries to put it into words, it takes a great many of them to explain.
  6206. 169Sri Ramakrishna: You will leave out the head and the tail when you speak, my dear sir.
  6207. 170Chapter Five
  6208. 171Kali Is Brahman, Brahman and Sakti Are One; the Harmony of All Religions
  6209. 172The pandit is talking with Sri Mani Mallick. Mani Mallick belongs to the Brahmo Samaj, and the pandit is arguing hotly over the merits and faults of t…
  6210. 173Then, laughing, he says, "Mani Mallick's Brahmo views are of long standing; you won't get your views into him. Do old impressions go so easily? There…
  6211. 174To the pandit, smiling: "Don't say anything to Mani Mallick.
  6212. 175"You see, tastes differ, and so does what each one can digest. God has made many religions and many views to suit different aspirants. Not everyone is…
  6213. 176All are silent. The Master says to the pandit, "Go and see the deities once, and then take a little stroll in the garden."
  6214. 177It was half past five. The pandit and his friends rose to go and see the temples. Some of the devotees went with them.
  6215. 178A little later the Master, accompanied by M., strolled towards the bathing ghat on the Ganges. The Master said to M., "Baburam says now, 'What will co…
  6216. 179By the Ganges the Master and the pandit met again. The Master said, "Won't you go to the Kali temple? That's why I came." The pandit said eagerly, "Ye…
  6217. 180The Master's face was bright with a smile. As they went through the chandni towards the Kali temple he said, "There is a song." And he sang in a sweet…
  6218. 181"Is my Mother black? The Black One, clad in space, lights up the lotus of the heart!"
  6219. 182Coming from the chandni into the courtyard, he said again, "A song says: 'Light the fire of knowledge in your room and see the form of Brahmamayi!'"
  6220. 183Entering the temple, the Master prostrated himself before the Mother. At Her lotus feet lay hibiscus and bel leaves. The three-eyed Mother was looking…
  6221. 184Looking at the image, Bhudhar's elder brother said, "I have heard it was made by Nabin the sculptor." The Master said, "I don't know about that. I kno…
  6222. 185With the devotees the Master walked through the natmandir, facing south. Seeing the place of animal sacrifice, the pandit said, "The Mother can't see…
  6223. 186Chapter Six
  6224. 187Now the Master was going back. He said to Baburam, "Come along!" M. came with them.
  6225. 188It was evening. The Master came and sat on the semicircular verandah on the west of his room, in ecstasy, half conscious of the outer world. Near him…
  6226. 189In these days it had become hard to look after the Master. Rakhal was not staying with him now. There were some others, but they could not touch the M…
  6227. 190The Realization of God and the Giving Up of Works; the New Pot; the Householder Devotee and the Unchaste Woman
  6228. 191The pandit had seen the temples and come back to the Master's room. From the semicircular verandah on the west the Master said to him, "Have some refr…
  6229. 192Who cares for Gaya and Ganga, Prabhas and the rest, Kasi and Kanchi, If my breath runs out while I am crying "Kali, Kali"? He who calls on Kali at the…
  6230. 193Drunk with love of God, the Master said again, "How long does one do evening worship? Until the mind merges in God at the utterance of Om."
  6231. 194The pandit: Then I shall have something to eat, and do my evening worship afterwards.
  6232. 195Sri Ramakrishna: I will not stand in the way of your current. Renunciation before its time is not good. Once the fruit is ripe, the flower falls of it…
  6233. 196Surendra was getting ready to go home. He was calling his friends; he would take them in his carriage.
  6234. 197Surendra: Will Mahendra Babu come?
  6235. 198The Master was still in ecstasy, not yet fully himself. In that state he said to Surendra, "Don't take more than your horse can pull." Surendra bowed…
  6236. 199The pandit went to do his evening worship. M. and Baburam were going back to Calcutta, and they bowed to the Master. The Master was still in ecstasy.
  6237. 200Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: The words won't come out. Stay a little.
  6238. 201M. sat down and waited to hear what the Master would bid him. The Master signed to Baburam to sit down. Baburam said, "Do stay a little longer." The M…
  6239. 202Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly, to M.: Why don't you come so often now?
  6240. 203M.: No particular reason, sir. I had work at home.
  6241. 204Sri Ramakrishna: Yesterday I came to know what sort of vessel Baburam is. That is why I keep urging him so to stay on even now. The bird hatches its e…
  6242. 205M.: Yes, sir. No stain has touched them yet.
  6243. 206Sri Ramakrishna: A new pot: milk kept in it won't spoil.
  6244. 207M.: Yes, sir.
  6245. 208Sri Ramakrishna: Baburam needs to stay here now. I am in this state, you see, and so people like him need to be with me. He says he will stay by degre…
  6246. 209Meanwhile the pandit had finished his evening worship and come back, and with him Bhudhar and his elder brother. Now the pandit would take some refres…
  6247. 210Bhudhar's eldest brother spent the last years of his life alone in Kasi, living a very pure life. He thought of the Master always.
  6248. 211Bhudhar's elder brother said, "What will become of us? Do tell us what our way is."
  6249. 212Sri Ramakrishna: You are seekers after liberation. If there is longing, God is realized. Don't eat the food of a sraddha. Live in the world like the u…
  6250. 213The pandit is eating. The Master says, "Sit on the mat to eat."
  6251. 214After he has eaten, the Master says to the pandit, "You have read the Gita: in one whom all men honour there is a special power of God."
  6252. 215The pandit: Whatever being has glory, grace or might...
  6253. 216Sri Ramakrishna: There is surely His power in you.
  6254. 217The pandit: Sir, shall I go on with the vow I have taken, steadfastly?
  6255. 218The Master, as though pressed into it, says, "Yes, you will." And then at once he seems to cover that over by talking of something else.
  6256. 219Sri Ramakrishna: One must accept Sakti. Vidyasagar said, "Does He give some people more power than others?" I replied, "Then how is it that one man ca…
  6257. 220Taking his leave, the pandit rose and prostrated himself before the Master. His friends who had come with him also bowed.
  6258. 221The Master said, "Do come again. One hemp-smoker is delighted to see another; maybe he even hugs him. When he sees anyone else he hides his face. A co…
  6259. 222When the pandit had gone the Master said, laughing, "He has been diluted in a single day! Did you see how humble he was? And he accepts everything!"
  6260. 223It is the seventh day of the bright fortnight of Ashadh. The moonlight has fallen on the western verandah. The Master is still sitting there. M. bows…
  6261. 224M.: Yes, sir; I'll take my leave.
  6262. 225Sri Ramakrishna: I've been thinking that one day I'll go to everyone's house, once each. I'll come to your place once. All right?
  6263. 226M.: Yes, sir, very good.
  6264. 1Section Fifteen
  6265. 2At Balaram's House with the Devotees on the Day of the Return Car Festival
  6266. 3Chapter One
  6267. 4Sri Ramakrishna and the Harmony of All Religions
  6268. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in Balaram's drawing-room, holding a gathering of devotees. The very image of bliss! He is talking with the devotees.
  6269. 6Today is the return of the car. It is Thursday, the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Ashadh, the third of July, 1884. At Sri Balaram's house there…
  6270. 7At the Master's bidding Balaram has invited Shashadhar today. The pandit is teaching the people by expounding the Hindu religion. Is that why Sri Rama…
  6271. 8The Master is talking with the devotees. Near him are Ram, M., Balaram, Manomohan, several young devotees, Balaram's father and others. Balaram's fath…
  6272. 9Teaching to Balaram's Father on the Harmony of All Religions; the Bhaktamala; Earlier Days: Vaishnavcharan's Bigotry before Mathur, and the Saktas' Sc…
  6273. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to Balaram's father and the other devotees: There is a book of the Vaishnavas, the Bhaktamala. It's a good book; everything about the…
  6274. 11"I praised Vaishnavcharan a great deal and had him brought to Sejo Babu. Sejo Babu made much of him and looked after him well. He went so far as to br…
  6275. 12"The Srimad Bhagavata, they say, has the same kind of thing in it: 'Without the Kesava mantra, crossing the sea of worldly existence is no different f…
  6276. 13"The Saktas too try to make the Vaishnavas small. Sri Krishna is the helmsman on the river of the world; He takes men across. To this the Saktas say,…
  6277. 14Earlier Days: The Visit to His Birthplace, 1880; the Pride of the Weaver Vaishnavas of Phului Syambazar; Teaching on Harmony
  6278. 15The last time Sri Ramakrishna visited his birthplace, in 1880, he went with Hriday to Phului Syambazar and sang kirtan there with Natabar Goswami, Ish…
  6279. 16"Each with his own view, and so much pride besides! In that part of the country, at Syambazar and places like that, there are weavers. Many of them ar…
  6280. 17The Bigotry of Rati's Mother, Companion to Lala Babu's Rani Katyayani
  6281. 18"Rati's mother was Rani Katyayani's companion and flatterer. She belonged to Vaishnavcharan's party, a bigoted Vaishnava woman. She used to come here…
  6282. 19"He who has brought them together is the true man. Most people are one-sided. But I see that all are one. Sakta, Vaishnava, Vedanta: every view is abo…
  6283. 20"He of whom the Vedas speak is the same One the Tantras speak of, and the Puranas too. They speak of that one Satchidananda. The Nitya and the Lila be…
  6284. 21"The Vedas say, Om Satchidananda Brahman. The Tantras say, Om Satchidananda Siva; Siva alone, alone Siva. The Puranas say, Om Satchidananda Krishna. I…
  6285. 22Chapter Two
  6286. 23Sri Ramakrishna's State of a Paramahamsa: Like a Child, Like a Madman
  6287. 24The Master went a little way towards the verandah and came back into the room. As he went out, Sri Vishvambhar's daughter had bowed down to him; she w…
  6288. 25Vishvambhar's daughter, to Sri Ramakrishna: I bowed down to you, and you didn't see.
  6289. 26Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Why, no, I didn't see it.
  6290. 27The girl: "Then wait, I'll bow down again. Wait, let me do this foot!" The Master sat down, laughing, and bowed his head to the ground and returned th…
  6291. 28Asked again, she said, "When I've sworn 'honest', can I take it back?" The Master was making merry with the children and singing songs to them. First…
  6292. 29Earlier Days: The Visit to His Birthplace, 1869-70; the Boy Sivaram; the Durga Puja at Hriday's House in Sihore; the Master's Worship of the Linga in…
  6293. 30Sri Sivaram was born on the eighteenth of Chaitra, 1272, the full-moon day of the Dol festival (the thirtieth of March, 1866). At the time of this vis…
  6294. 31Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: The nature of a paramahamsa is exactly a child's, a child of five. To him all things are full of Consciousness.
  6295. 32"When I was in my own part of the country (at Kamarpukur), Ramlal's brother (Sivaram) was four or five years old. He was going after grasshoppers by t…
  6296. 33"A paramahamsa is like a child: he has no sense of 'mine' and 'another's'; he is not held by any worldly tie. One day Ramlal's brother said to me, 'Ar…
  6297. 34"Like a child, a paramahamsa keeps no account of his comings and goings. He sees everything as Brahman; where he is going, where he is wandering, he k…
  6298. 35"A paramahamsa has a state of madness too. When I was mad I used to worship my own organ, taking it for the Siva linga. The worship of the living ling…
  6299. 36After the Dedication of the Temple (Dedicated 1855): The Meeting with a Madman of Perfect Knowledge
  6300. 37"Some days after the temple at Dakshineswar was dedicated, a madman came there, a man of perfect knowledge. He had torn shoes, a bamboo switch in one…
  6301. 38"When I heard all this from Haladhari, my heart began to pound, and I held on tight to Hriday. I said to the Mother, 'Mother, will I come to this stat…
  6302. 39Chapter Three
  6303. 40The Need for Austerity More than Learning: Spiritual Practice
  6304. 41Sri Ramakrishna is talking with M. The devotees too are sitting near.
  6305. 42Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What do you think of Shashadhar?
  6306. 43M.: He is very good, sir.
  6307. 44Sri Ramakrishna: Very intelligent, isn't he?
  6308. 45M.: Yes, sir, he has a good deal of learning.
  6309. 46Sri Ramakrishna: It is as the Gita says: one whom many people honour and respect has some of God's power in him. But there is a little work still left…
  6310. 47M.: Yes, sir.
  6311. 48Sri Ramakrishna: What will mere learning do? Some austerity is needed, some spiritual practice.
  6312. 49Earlier Days: The Spiritual Practice of Gauri Pandit and Narayan Shastri; the Meeting with Keshab in the Belgharia Garden, 1875; the Captain's Coming,…
  6313. 50"Gauri Pandit had done spiritual practice. When he chanted his hymn, 'Ha re re, Lambodara, You who rest on nothing!', even the pandits would shrink to…
  6314. 51"Narayan Shastri too was no mere pandit; he had done spiritual practice.
  6315. 52"Narayan Shastri had studied for twenty-five years at a stretch. Seven years he had studied Nyaya; and still, as he said 'Hara, Hara', he would go int…
  6316. 53"I hear that some say Narayan Shastri has given up the body: while he was practising austerity, they say, a Bhairava gave him a slap. And again some s…
  6317. 54"Before I saw Keshab Sen I said to Narayan Shastri, 'You go once and see what kind of man he is.' He went and saw him and came back and said, 'The man…
  6318. 55"Then I went with Hriday to the garden at Belgharia and saw him. The moment I saw him I said, 'This is the one whose tail has dropped off: he can live…
  6319. 56"To test me they sent three Brahmajnanis to the temple garden. Prasanna was one of them. Day and night they were to watch me, and then report to Kesha…
  6320. 57"The Captain too, the day he first saw me, stayed on that night.
  6321. 58Michael Madhusudan; His Talk with Narayan Shastri
  6322. 59Madhusudan the poet was born at Sagardari in 1824, lived in England from 1862 to 1867 and died in 1873. His visit to the Master will have been after 1…
  6323. 60"Michael came while Narayan Shastri was there. Dwarik Babu, Mathur Babu's eldest son, brought him along. A lawsuit was in the making with the sahibs o…
  6324. 61"Next to the office there was a large room. That is where I met Michael. I asked Narayan Shastri to talk with him. He could not speak Sanskrit well; h…
  6325. 62"Narayan Shastri said, 'Why did you give up your own religion?' Michael pointed to his stomach and said, 'For the sake of this: I had to give it up.'
  6326. 63"Narayan Shastri said, 'What is there to say to someone who throws away his faith to fill his belly!' Then Michael said to me, 'Will you say something…
  6327. 64"I said, 'Somehow, who knows why, I have no wish to speak. It is as if someone were holding my mouth shut.'"
  6328. 65Woman and Gold Make Even a Pandit Small-Minded; the Worship of the Worldly
  6329. 66Chaudhuri Babu was to have come to see the Master.
  6330. 67Manomohan: Chaudhuri won't come. He said, "That Bangal from Faridpur (Shashadhar) is going to be there; so I won't go!"
  6331. 68Sri Ramakrishna: What a small mind! Pride of learning, and on top of that he has married a second wife. He takes the whole world for a saucer!
  6332. 69Chaudhuri had passed the M.A. After his first wife died he had felt great renunciation, and he used often to go to the Master at Dakshineswar. Now he…
  6333. 70Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "It is this attachment to woman and gold that has made people small-minded. When Haramohan first came to me he had f…
  6334. 71Chandra Chatterji of the Kartabhaja sect has come. He is sixty or sixty-five, and the verses of the Kartabhajas are always on his lips. He was going t…
  6335. 72Now Sri Ramakrishna goes into the inner apartments of Balaram's house to see Sri Sri Jagannath. There the women devotees are waiting, eager to see him…
  6336. 73The Master has come back to the drawing-room, his face smiling. He said, "I took off the cloth I had worn to the privy and saw Jagannath. And I offere…
  6337. 74"The worship, japa and austerity of the worldly are only for the moment. Those who know nothing except God take His name with each breath they draw. S…
  6338. 75"One should remember Him and think of Him at all times."
  6339. 76Chapter Four
  6340. 77Balaram's House: Shashadhar and Other Devotees; the Master's Samadhi
  6341. 78Sri Shashadhar came into the room with one or two friends, bowed down to the Master and took his seat.
  6342. 79Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: We have all been sitting up like the bride on her wedding night. When will the bridegroom come!
  6343. 80The pandit is smiling. It is a gathering of devotees. Balaram's revered father is present, and Dr. Pratap has come too. The Master goes on talking.
  6344. 81Sri Ramakrishna, to Shashadhar: The signs of knowledge: first, a peaceful nature; second, a nature free from conceit. You have both.
  6345. 82"The jnani has some other signs too. With holy men he is a man of renunciation; at his work, when he is lecturing, say, he is like a lion; with his wi…
  6346. 83"The vijnani's nature is different. It is like Chaitanya's state: like a child, like a madman, like an inert thing, like a ghoul.
  6347. 84"And within the child's state there are childhood, boyhood and youth! In the boyhood state there is mischief. When he teaches, he is like a young man.…
  6348. 85The pandit: By what kind of bhakti is He to be attained?
  6349. 86Shashadhar and the Talk on the Nature of Bhakti; One Needs Blazing Faith; the Meekness of the Vaishnavas
  6350. 87Sri Ramakrishna: Bhakti is of three kinds, according to a man's nature: the sattva of bhakti, the rajas of bhakti, the tamas of bhakti.
  6351. 88"The sattva of bhakti: God alone knows of it. A devotee of that kind likes to keep it hidden. Perhaps he meditates inside the mosquito curtain, and no…
  6352. 89"Those who have the rajas of bhakti feel a little wish that people should see they are devotees. Such a man worships with the sixteen offerings, puts…
  6353. 90"The tamas of bhakti is like the devotion of a gang of robbers falling upon a house. The robbers go raiding with a husking-pestle, with no fear of eig…
  6354. 91"The Saktas have that kind of faith. 'What! I have once taken the name of Kali, of Durga; I have once taken the name of Rama; how can there be sin in…
  6355. 92"The Vaishnavas have a very meek and lowly attitude. Those who do nothing but tell their beads" (he looked towards Balaram's father) "weep and whimper…
  6356. 93"One must have such blazing faith as this: 'I have taken His name; how can there be sin in me?' Day and night they repeat the name of Hari, and still…
  6357. 94As he talked the Master became mad with divine love and began to sing:
  6358. 95If I die, O Mother, with the name of Durga on my lips, How then, O Sankari, can You fail to save this poor wretch at the last? We shall see. Though I…
  6359. 96Shashadhar wept as he heard the song.
  6360. 97The Master sang again:
  6361. 98Ever sporting with Siva, She is lost in bliss. Drinking nectar She sways and reels, yet the Mother does not fall!
  6362. 99Now Adhar's singer, Vaishnavcharan, sang:
  6363. 100O my tongue, repeat the name of Durga always. Who but Sri Durga can save us in times of peril? You are heaven, You are earth, You are the nether world…
  6364. 101As he heard these few lines the Master went into ecstasy. When the song was over he himself began to sing:
  6365. 102O Syama, Yasoda used to make You dance, calling You her Blue Gem; Where have You hidden that form, O Terrible-faced One?
  6366. 103Vaishnavcharan now sang a kirtan: Subal's meeting. When the singer was adding his improvised line, "No sound will come from me but 'Ra', 'Dha'!", the…
  6367. 104Shashadhar is shedding tears of love.
  6368. 105Chapter Five
  6369. 106The Return Festival: the Master Dances and Sings Kirtan with the Devotees before the Car
  6370. 107The Master came down from samadhi, and the song too came to an end. Shashadhar, Pratap, Ramdayal, Ram, Manomohan, the young devotees and many others a…
  6371. 108Ramdayal, to Shashadhar: The forms imagined for Brahman in the scriptures: who imagines them?
  6372. 109The pandit: Brahman does it Himself. It is not man's imagining.
  6373. 110Dr. Pratap: Why does He imagine forms?
  6374. 111Sri Ramakrishna: Why? He doesn't consult anybody before He acts. It is His pleasure; He is full of His own will! Why He does it, what business is that…
  6375. 112Dr. Pratap: Then shall we not reason at all?
  6376. 113Sri Ramakrishna: Don't reason and argue for nothing. But you should reason about the real and the unreal: which is eternal and which is passing. In ti…
  6377. 114The pandit: That is different. It is called discriminating reason.
  6378. 115Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, reasoning about the real and the unreal.
  6379. 116All were silent.
  6380. 117Sri Ramakrishna, to the pandit: Great men used to come here in the past.
  6381. 118The pandit: What, rich men?
  6382. 119Sri Ramakrishna: No, great pandits.
  6383. 120Meanwhile the little car has been brought out onto the upper floor of the outer house. Sri Sri Jagannath, Subhadra and Balarama are adorned with flowe…
  6384. 121Now the Master has come before the car with the devotees. The car will be drawn along that verandah. The Master took hold of the rope of the car and p…
  6385. 122Song: The two brothers have come, who weep when they say "Hari", they have come.
  6386. 123The Master is dancing. The devotees too are dancing and singing with him. The kirtan singer Vaishnavcharan and his party have joined in the singing an…
  6387. 124In a moment the whole verandah was full. The women too are watching this joy of divine love from the rooms nearby! It seemed as if Sri Gauranga were d…
  6388. 125It is not yet dusk. The Master has come back to the drawing-room and taken his seat with the devotees.
  6389. 126Sri Ramakrishna, to the pandit: This is called bhajanananda. Worldly people live in vishayananda, the joy of woman and gold. As one goes on worshippin…
  6390. 127Shashadhar and the devotees are listening in wonder.
  6391. 128The pandit, humbly: Sir, how great must the longing be for the mind to come into this state so full of feeling?
  6392. 129Sri Ramakrishna: When the soul is tossing and struggling to see God, then this longing comes. A guru said to his disciple, "Come, I'll show you what l…
  6393. 130The pandit: Yes, yes, that is so. Now I understand.
  6394. 131Sri Ramakrishna: To love God: that is the essence! Bhakti alone is the essence! Narada prayed to Rama, "Let there be pure bhakti at Your lotus feet al…
  6395. 132The pandit is ready to go. The Master said, "Have a carriage brought for him."
  6396. 133The pandit: No, sir, we shall just walk.
  6397. 134Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: How can that be! "Him whom Brahma cannot reach in meditation..."
  6398. 135The pandit: There was no need to go, but I have to do my evening worship.
  6399. 136Sri Ramakrishna's State of a Paramahamsa and the Dropping of Rites; the Sweet Chanting of the Name
  6400. 137Sri Ramakrishna: The Mother has taken away my evening worship and all such rites. The evening worship and the rest are for making body and mind pure.…
  6401. 138Saying this, the Master began to sing the refrain of a song: "When will you lie in the divine chamber with Pure and Impure beside you? Only when those…
  6402. 139Shashadhar bowed down and took his leave.
  6403. 140Ram: I went to see Shashadhar yesterday. You had told me to.
  6404. 141Sri Ramakrishna: Why, I didn't tell you. But that's fine; you went.
  6405. 142Ram: The editor of a newspaper was finding fault with you.
  6406. 143M.'s footnote, in his own English: Indian Empire.
  6407. 144Sri Ramakrishna: Let him, if he likes.
  6408. 145Ram: Then listen! After he heard what I had to say he wouldn't let me go; he wants to hear still more about you!
  6409. 146Dr. Pratap is still sitting there. The Master says to him, "Come there (to Dakshineswar) once. Bhuvan (the nurse) has said she will pay the fare."
  6410. 147Dusk fell. The Master is chanting the names of the Mother of the Universe; he is chanting the name of Rama, the name of Krishna, the name of Hari. The…
  6411. 148Tonight the Master will leave for Dakshineswar. Balaram is taking him into the inner apartments to give him refreshments. Taking this chance, the wome…
  6412. 149Meanwhile the devotees are waiting for him in the drawing-room outside, singing kirtan together. The moment the Master came out he joined them. The ki…
  6413. 150My Gaur is dancing. He dances in the kirtan, in the courtyard of Srivas, with all his devotees. "Haribol," says Gora with his lips, and looks towards…
  6414. 151The Master adds his own lines:
  6415. 152He dances in the kirtan (Sachi's darling dances). (My Gora dances) (the Gora of my heart dances).
  6416. 1Section Sixteen
  6417. 2At the Dakshineswar Temple with M., Rakhal and Latu, and with Balaram, Adhar, the Devotees from Sibpur and Others
  6418. 3Chapter One
  6419. 4Talk of Yoga with the Sibpur Devotees: the Kundalini and the Piercing of the Six Centres
  6420. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in the temple at Dakshineswar after his midday meal. It is perhaps two o'clock.
  6421. 6A party of bauls has come from Sibpur, and devotees from Bhowanipur. Sri Rakhal, Latu and Harish are staying with him all the time these days. Balaram…
  6422. 7Today is Sunday, the third of August, 1884, the twentieth of Sravan, the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of Sravan and the second day of the Swing…
  6423. 8The Master turns to the devotees from Sibpur and speaks to them.
  6424. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: While the mind dwells on woman and gold there is no yoga. The mind of the ordinary jiva lives in the sex organ, the…
  6425. 10"When the Kulakundalini wakes, she passes one by one through these lotuses, the Muladhara, the Svadhishthana and the Manipura, and comes to rest in th…
  6426. 11"When the six centres have been pierced, the Kundalini goes to the lotus of a thousand petals and is united there. When the Kundalini reaches that pla…
  6427. 12"In the Vedas these centres are called 'planes'. There are seven planes. The heart is the fourth plane: the Anahata lotus, with twelve petals.
  6428. 13"The Visuddha centre is the fifth plane. When the mind rises here, the heart longs only to speak of God and to hear of God. The place of this centre i…
  6429. 14"After that comes the sixth plane, the Ajna centre, the lotus of two petals. When the Kulakundalini comes here, the form of God is seen. But there is…
  6430. 15"Then comes the seventh plane, the lotus of a thousand petals. When the Kundalini goes there, samadhi comes. In the Sahasrara is Siva, Existence-Knowl…
  6431. 16"When the mind reaches the Sahasrara and goes into samadhi, no outer consciousness is left. A man can no longer keep the body going. Put milk in his m…
  6432. 17"The Isvarakotis, the Incarnations and their like, are able to descend from this samadhi. Because they live with bhakti and with the devotees, they ca…
  6433. 18"After samadhi some, of their own wish, keep the 'I of knowledge'. That 'I' has no grip; it is a mere line.
  6434. 19"Hanuman, after he had realized God both with form and without form, kept the 'servant I'. Narada and the others, Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana and Sanatk…
  6435. 20Is the Master describing his own state in this way? He says:
  6436. 21The Paramahamsa, Believing in God without Form and with Form; the Master's Bhakti after the Knowledge of Brahman; the Yoga of the Eternal and the Play
  6437. 22"The paramahamsa may hold to God without form, or again to God with form. One who holds to the formless is like Trailanga Swami. Such men keep it all…
  6438. 23"Those who still hold to God with form after the knowledge of Brahman keep bhakti for the teaching of mankind. It is as when the pitcher is full to th…
  6439. 24"All the disciplines by which they reached God they tell of for the teaching of mankind, for people's good. Men dig a well with great labour to get wa…
  6440. 25"Some eat a mango in secret and wipe their mouths! Others share it as they eat, to teach people and to taste Him. 'I love to eat sugar.'
  6441. 26"The gopis too had the knowledge of Brahman. But they did not want the knowledge of Brahman. They wanted to enjoy God, some as a mother, some as a fri…
  6442. 27In the Joy of Kirtan: the Name of Sri Gauranga and the Name of the Mother
  6443. 28The devotees from Sibpur are singing to the gopiyantra. In the first song they say, "We are sinners; save us."
  6444. 29Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "Worship by frightening and being frightened: that is the attitude of the beginner. Sing songs of attaining Him. Son…
  6445. 30"Be drunk with the wine of Hari's name!"
  6446. 31"Talk of nothing but misery is not good. To be joyful in Him, to be drunk with Him: that is the thing."
  6447. 32A devotee from Sibpur: Sir, won't we have a song from you?
  6448. 33Sri Ramakrishna: What shall I sing? Well, I'll sing when it comes.
  6449. 34After a little while the Master sings. As he sings, his gaze is turned upward.
  6450. 35Song: Give me a loincloth, Bharati; I will go to Braja dressed as a beggar.
  6451. 36Song: The wave of Gaura's love has struck my body.
  6452. 37Song: Come and see the golden form of Gaura, O friend. Curds of milk mixed in alta smeared on Gora's body; Seeing it, bhava wells up. The craftsman is…
  6453. 38Song: Dive, dive, dive deep, my mind, into the ocean of beauty.
  6454. 39After the name of Gauranga he takes the name of the Mother:
  6455. 401. Does everyone win the treasure that is Syama? My foolish mind does not understand; what a plight is this!
  6456. 412. The bee of my mind is lost in the blue lotus of Syama's feet.
  6457. 423. What a machine Mother Syama has made! What a machine Mother Kali has made! Inside a machine three and a half cubits long, what sport She shows! Dwe…
  6458. 43Chapter Two
  6459. 44The Master's Samadhi and His Talk with the Mother of the Universe; the Truth of Prema
  6460. 45As he sings this song the Master goes into samadhi. The devotees all sit in stillness, watching him. After some time, a little restored to the normal…
  6461. 46"Mother, come down here from up there!" Is it from the Sahasrara? "How You torment me! Be quiet and sit down!
  6462. 47"Mother, what each one has," meaning his samskara, "that is what will be! What more shall I tell these people? Without discrimination and dispassion n…
  6463. 48"There are many kinds of dispassion! One kind is monkey-dispassion: the dispassion of a man burnt by the fires of the world! That kind does not last m…
  6464. 49"Dispassion does not come all at once. Unless the time has come, it does not come. Still, there is one thing: it is good to hear of it and keep it in…
  6465. 50"And another thing. By hearing all these things over and over, the desire for worldly things grows less, little by little. To lessen the effect of win…
  6466. 51"Those fit to attain knowledge are very few indeed. The Gita says that among thousands of men one wishes to know Him; and again, among thousands upon…
  6467. 52A Tantrika devotee: "Manushyanam sahasreshu kaschid yatati siddhaye", and so on.
  6468. 53Sri Ramakrishna: The less the attachment to the world, the more knowledge will grow. Attachment, that is, to woman and gold.
  6469. 54Holy Company, Faith, Steadfastness, Bhakti, Bhava, Mahabhava, Prema
  6470. 55"Prema does not come to everyone. Gauranga had it. The jiva can have bhava, and no further. Prema comes to the Isvarakotis, to the Incarnations and th…
  6471. 56"It is said in a Persian book, Hafiz, that inside the skin is flesh, inside the flesh is bone, inside the bone is marrow, and after that how much more…
  6472. 57"Prema makes one tender and soft. By prema Krishna became bent in three places.
  6473. 58"When prema comes, you have the rope to bind Satchidananda. Whenever you wish to see Him, a tug on the rope is enough. Whenever you call, you will hav…
  6474. 59"When bhakti ripens, bhava comes. In bhava a man thinks of Satchidananda and is struck dumb with wonder. The jiva goes so far. When bhava ripens furth…
  6475. 60"Pure bhakti alone is the essence; all else is unreal!
  6476. 61"When Narada sang His praises, Rama said, 'Ask a boon.' Narada asked for pure bhakti. And he said, 'Rama, may I never be bewitched by Your world-encha…
  6477. 62"Narada said, 'I want nothing else, only bhakti!'
  6478. 63"How does this bhakti come? First one must keep the company of holy men. In the company of holy men faith in the things of God is born. After faith co…
  6479. 64"After steadfastness comes bhakti. Then bhava, then mahabhava, prema: the attainment of the Real.
  6480. 65"Mahabhava and prema come to the Incarnations and their like. The knowledge of the worldly jiva, the knowledge of the devotee and the knowledge of the…
  6481. 66"The devotee's knowledge is like moonlight. Inside and outside can be seen, but a thing far away, or a very small thing, cannot be seen. The knowledge…
  6482. 67"The mind of the worldly jiva has become muddy water, it is true; but drop a nirmali nut into it and it can be clear again. Discrimination and dispass…
  6483. 68Now he speaks with the devotees from Sibpur.
  6484. 69Hearing of God Is Needed, but It Waits on Its Time; the Master's Natural State
  6485. 70Sri Ramakrishna: If you have anything to ask, ask it.
  6486. 71A devotee: Sir, we have heard everything.
  6487. 72Sri Ramakrishna: It is good to hear and keep it in mind, but unless the time has come nothing happens.
  6488. 73"When the fever is high, what good will quinine do? You give fever mixture, the bowels move and so on, and when the fever has come down a little, then…
  6489. 74"A child said to his mother as he was going to sleep, 'Mother, wake me when I need to go to the toilet.' The mother said, 'Child, I won't have to wake…
  6490. 75"Some come here, I see, who have come by boat in the company of some devotee. They don't like talk of God. They keep nudging their friend: 'When are y…
  6491. 76"Those for whom this is the first birth as a man need enjoyment. Unless certain works have been done, spiritual awakening does not come."
  6492. 77The Master is about to go to the tamarisk grove. On the semicircular verandah he speaks to M.
  6493. 78Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Well, what sort of state is mine?
  6494. 79M., smiling: Sir, on the surface you are in the natural state; within, you are deep. Your state is very hard to understand!
  6495. 80Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes. It is like a floor laid with cement. People see only the top; they don't know how many things lie under the floor!
  6496. 81At the Chandni ghat Balaram and a few other devotees are getting into a boat to go to Calcutta. It is four o'clock. The tide is going out, and a wind…
  6497. 82Balaram's boat moves away towards Baghbazar, and M. stands a long while watching it.
  6498. 83When the boat has passed out of sight he comes back to the Master.
  6499. 84The Master is coming down from the west verandah; he is going to the tamarisk grove. Lovely clouds have gathered in the north-west. The Master says, "…
  6500. 85The Master has come to the Panchavati. He says to Latu, "Why are you getting so thin?"
  6501. 86Latu: I can't eat anything!
  6502. 87Sri Ramakrishna: Is that all? The weather has turned bad, and besides, you meditate too much, I suppose?
  6503. 88The Master Talks with M.
  6504. 89To M.: "I leave that in your charge. Tell Baburam that when Rakhal goes away he must come and stay here a day or two now and then. Otherwise I shall b…
  6505. 90M.: Yes, sir, I will tell him.
  6506. 91When a man is guileless, God is attained. The Master is asking whether Baburam is guileless!
  6507. 92The Beautiful Form of Sri Ramakrishna Seen at the Tamarisk Grove and the Panchavati
  6508. 93The Master is coming back from the tamarisk grove, his face to the south. M. and Latu stand under the Panchavati, facing north, and watch him.
  6509. 94Behind the Master fresh clouds adorn the vault of the sky and are mirrored in the waters of the Jahnavi, so that the water of the Ganges looks dark.
  6510. 95The Master is coming: as if God Himself had taken a body and were walking, for the sake of His devotees, in this world of mortals, on the bank of the…
  6511. 96Chapter Three
  6512. 97Nabai Chaitanya and Narendra; Baburam, Latu and Mani; Rakhal; Adhar
  6513. 98The Master has come to his own room and is sitting there. Balaram had brought mangoes. The Master says to Sri Ram Chatterji, "Take these mangoes for y…
  6514. 99On the long verandah to the north the Master is talking with Hazra. The brahmachari has given some ash of orpiment for the Master, and that is what th…
  6515. 100Sri Ramakrishna: The brahmachari's medicine suits me very well. He is a genuine man.
  6516. 101Hazra: But the poor man has fallen into the world; what can he do?
  6517. 102"Nabai Chaitanya has come from Konnagar. But he is a worldly man in a red cloth!"
  6518. 103Sri Ramakrishna: What shall I say? And I see that God Himself has taken all these human forms. Then I can't say anything to anyone.
  6519. 104The Master has come back into the room. He speaks with Hazra about Narendra.
  6520. 105Hazra: Narendra has got into a lawsuit again.
  6521. 106Sri Ramakrishna: He doesn't accept Sakti. When one has taken a body, one must accept Sakti.
  6522. 107Hazra: He says, "If I accept it, then everyone will accept it; so how can I?"
  6523. 108"It isn't good to go as far as that. It is into the domain of Sakti itself that he has now come. Even a judge, when he gives evidence, must come down…
  6524. 109The Master says to M., "Haven't you seen Narendra?"
  6525. 110M.: No, sir, not lately.
  6526. 111Sri Ramakrishna: "Go and see him once, won't you, and bring him here by carriage." Then, to Hazra: "Well, how is he connected with this place?"
  6527. 112Hazra: He will get your help.
  6528. 113Sri Ramakrishna: And Bhavanath? Would he come here so often if he had no samskara?
  6529. 114"Well, and Harish and Latu: they only meditate. What's the good of that?"
  6530. 115Hazra: Yes, what is there in only meditating? They serve you; that counts for something.
  6531. 116Sri Ramakrishna: Let it be! When they have gone, someone else will come.
  6532. 117Various Teachings to Mani; Sri Ramakrishna's Natural State
  6533. 118Hazra has left the room. There is still a while before dusk. The Master sits in the room talking alone with Mani.
  6534. 119Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Well, are people drawn by what I say in bhava?
  6535. 120Mani: Yes, sir, very much.
  6536. 121Sri Ramakrishna: What do people think? When they see me in bhava, does anything strike them?
  6537. 122Mani: They feel that knowledge, prema and dispassion are all in one vessel, and over it all the natural state. Within, so many ships have passed throu…
  6538. 123Sri Ramakrishna: The Ghoshpara sect calls God "the Sahaja", the Natural One. And they say: unless you are natural yourself, you cannot know the Natura…
  6539. 124Sri Ramakrishna: Pride and Ego; "I Am the Machine, He the Operator"
  6540. 125To Mani: "Well, have I any pride?"
  6541. 126Mani: Yes, sir, a little: to keep the body going and for bhakti and the devotees, for teaching knowledge. And that too you have kept by praying for it…
  6542. 127Sri Ramakrishna: I have not kept it; He Himself has kept it. Well, what happens when I am in a state of bhava?
  6543. 128Mani: You told us then that the mind rises to the sixth plane and the form of God is seen. And afterwards, when you speak, the mind comes down to the…
  6544. 129Sri Ramakrishna: He is doing everything. I know nothing.
  6545. 130Mani: Yes, sir, and that is just why the attraction is so great!
  6546. 131Why All Scriptures, All Religions, Are True: Sri Ramakrishna and the Reconciling of Scriptures That Contradict
  6547. 132Mani: Sir, the scriptures say two things. One Purana calls Krishna the Spirit and Radha the Power of the Spirit. Another Purana says that Krishna Hims…
  6548. 133Sri Ramakrishna: That is the view of the Devi Purana. In that view it is Kali who has become Krishna. And what if it is so? He is infinite, and the wa…
  6549. 134Hearing this, Mani is struck with wonder and stays silent for a while.
  6550. 135Mani: Oh, I understand. It is as you say: the point is to get up on the roof. If you can get up by any means at all, that is enough: a rope, a bamboo…
  6551. 136Sri Ramakrishna: That you have understood this much is God's mercy. Without God's grace doubts never go.
  6552. 137"The point is this: somehow to come to love Him, to have bhakti for Him. What use is a mass of information? If, going along one path, you come to love…
  6553. 138Giving Up the World and Attaining God; Should the Devotee Lay By, or Take What Comes?
  6554. 139Mani: These days I wish my work would grow much less, and that I could give my mind wholly to God.
  6555. 140Sri Ramakrishna: Ah! Of course that will come!
  6556. 141"But the jnani can live in the world unattached!"
  6557. 142Mani: Yes, sir, but to be unattached one needs special strength.
  6558. 143Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that is true. But perhaps you wanted it, the world.
  6559. 144"Krishna was in Radha's heart all along, but He felt the wish, and so the play in human form. Now pray that all this may grow less. And if you renounc…
  6560. 145Mani: That is for those who cannot renounce outwardly. For those of the higher rank it is renunciation entire: renunciation in the mind and renunciati…
  6561. 146The Master is silent. Then he speaks again.
  6562. 147Sri Ramakrishna: How did you like what was said about dispassion a while ago?
  6563. 148Mani: Yes, sir.
  6564. 149Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, what does dispassion mean?
  6565. 150Mani: Dispassion does not mean only aversion to the world. It means love for God and aversion to the world.
  6566. 151Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, you have put it rightly.
  6567. 152"In the world one needs money, it is true; but don't worry so much about what will come of it. To take what comes of itself: that is best. Don't worry…
  6568. 153Of Sri Haripada, Rakhal, Baburam, Adhar and Others
  6569. 154The Master speaks of Haripada: "Haripada came the other day."
  6570. 155Mani, smiling: Haripada knows how to tell sacred stories. The story of Prahlada, the birth of Sri Krishna: he tells all these in a chant.
  6571. 156Sri Ramakrishna: Is that so! The other day I saw his eyes; they looked as if they had turned upward. I said, "Do you meditate a great deal?" At that h…
  6572. 157Dusk has fallen. The Master takes the name of the Mother and meditates on Her.
  6573. 158A little later the vesper service begins in the temple garden. It is the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of Sravan, the second day of the Swing Fe…
  6574. 159Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Baburam says, "The world! Oh, my goodness!"
  6575. 160M.: Just listen to that! What does Baburam know of the world?
  6576. 161Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that's so. Have you seen Niranjan? How guileless he is!
  6577. 162M.: Yes, sir. His very face draws one. And what a look there is in his eyes!
  6578. 163Sri Ramakrishna: "Not only the look of his eyes; everything about him. They spoke of getting him married, and he said, 'Why do you want to drown me?'"…
  6579. 164M.: "Yes, sir, for those who live in that way, of course they are." Then, to Rakhal, smiling: "An 'examination' is going on: a 'leading question'."
  6580. 165Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: A mother says, "I'll be easy once I have made a shady tree for my son! Scorched and burnt in the sun, he'll come and sit und…
  6581. 166M.: "Yes, sir, there are all kinds of fathers and mothers. A father who is free doesn't get his sons married. If he does, he is free indeed!" The Mast…
  6582. 167Adhar and M. Visit the Kali Temple; Adhar's Story of Chandranath and Sitakunda
  6583. 168Sri Adhar Sen has come from Calcutta; he prostrates himself on the floor and salutes the Master. After sitting a little while he goes to the Kali temp…
  6584. 169M. too has seen the Mother in the Kali temple. Then he comes to the Chandni ghat and sits on the bank of the Ganges. The water of the Ganges glitters…
  6585. 170Adhar and M. have gone back to the Master's room. Adhar was at Chittagong on his work. He is telling about the holy place of Chandranath and about Sit…
  6586. 171Adhar: In the water of Sitakunda a flame of fire flickers up like a tongue.
  6587. 172Sri Ramakrishna: How can that be?
  6588. 173Adhar: There is phosphorus in the water.
  6589. 174Sri Ram Chatterji has come into the room. The Master speaks well of him to Adhar. And he says, "Because Ram is here, we don't have to think so much. H…
  6590. 1Section Seventeen
  6591. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Sri Adhar's House with Narendra and Other Devotees
  6592. 3Chapter One
  6593. 4In the Joy of Kirtan with Narendra and Other Devotees: in the Shrine of Samadhi
  6594. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in the parlour of Adhar's house. The parlour is on the upper floor. Sri Narendra, the Mukherji brothers,…
  6595. 6The devotees are bowing down to him. When M. has made his salutation, the Master says to Adhar, "Won't Doctor Nitai be coming?"
  6596. 7Sri Narendra is to sing, and things are being made ready. As the tanpura was being tuned, a string snapped. The Master says, "Oh, what have you done!"…
  6597. 8They are talking about songs in the kirtan style. Narendra says, "In kirtan there is no tala, no sam, nothing of that kind; that is why it is so 'popu…
  6598. 9Sri Ramakrishna: What a thing to say! It is because it is full of pathos that people love it so!
  6599. 10Narendra sings:
  6600. 11Song: Beautiful is Thy name, O Refuge of the lowly.
  6601. 12Song: Shall my days go by in vain, O Lord? Day and night, O Lord, I watch the road of hope.
  6602. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra, smiling: He sings this song first!
  6603. 14After Narendra has sung one or two more songs, Vaishnavcharan sings: How am I to know You, O Hari, O Bankuray, who stay forgetful in Mathura? Riding o…
  6604. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Let's have "Sing Hari, Hari, O Vina" once; why not?
  6605. 16Vaishnavcharan sings: Sing Hari, Hari, O Vina! Without the feet of Sri Hari you will not find the supreme truth. Hari's name takes the burning away; s…
  6606. 17The Master in Samadhi Again and Again, and His Dancing
  6607. 18As he listens to the song, Sri Ramakrishna is overwhelmed by bhava and says, "Ah! Ah! Say Hari, Hari!"
  6608. 19Even as he was saying this, the Master went into samadhi. The devotees were seated all round him, gazing at him. The room had filled with people.
  6609. 20The singer finished that song and began a new one.
  6610. 21Song: Sri Gauranga, the beautiful one, the new dancer supreme, with a body like molten gold.
  6611. 22As the singer was adding his improvised line, "They drift away on the flood of Hari's love," the Master stood up and began to dance. Then he sat down…
  6612. 23As he was adding the line, the Master was overwhelmed by bhava and, his head bowed, went into samadhi. The bolster was in front of him, and his head h…
  6613. 24What wealth is there in the world but Hari's name? Say it, Madhai, in a sweet voice. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Ha…
  6614. 25Song: Crying Hari, my Gaura dances. My Gauranga dances there in the midst of the golden mountain; On his crimson feet the golden anklets tinkle, runu…
  6615. 26The Master has risen again and is dancing, adding his own line: (Mad with love, O!)
  6616. 27Seeing that wonderful dance, Narendra and the other devotees could keep still no longer; all of them began to dance with the Master.
  6617. 28As he dances, the Master goes into samadhi now and again. Then his mind is turned within; there is not a word on his lips. His whole body is still. Th…
  6618. 29A little later comes the half-outward state, as it used to come to Chaitanyadeva, and at once the Master dances with the might of a lion. Still not a…
  6619. 30Today the parlour of Adhar's house has become the courtyard of Srivasa. Hearing the sound of Hari's name, a countless crowd has gathered in the street…
  6620. 31After dancing a long while with the devotees, the Master has taken his seat again. He is still in bhava. In that state he says to Narendra, "That song…
  6621. 32At the Master's bidding Narendra sings: "Make me mad, O Mother."
  6622. 33Sri Ramakrishna: And that one, "On the Waters of the Ocean of Chidananda."
  6623. 34Narendra sings:
  6624. 35On the waters of the ocean of Chidananda rise the waves of the bliss of love. O the sweetness of mahabhava, of the play of rasa! In the great yoga all…
  6625. 36Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: And "In the Sky of Consciousness"? No, that one is too long, isn't it? Well then, a little of it, softly.
  6626. 37Narendra sings: In the sky of Consciousness the moon of love has risen full. The ocean of love swells high; O what bliss!
  6627. 38Sri Ramakrishna: And that one, "The Wine of Hari's Nectar"?
  6628. 39Narendra: Drink the wine of Hari's nectar, O my mind, and be mad. Roll on the ground and weep, crying Hari, Hari.
  6629. 40The Master adds his own lines: Drunk with love, he weeps, crying Hari, Hari. Drunk with bhava, weep, crying Hari, Hari.
  6630. 41The Master and the devotees rest a little. Narendra says softly to the Master, "Will you sing that song once?"
  6631. 42Sri Ramakrishna: My throat has gone a little hoarse.
  6632. 43After a while the Master asks Narendra again, "Which one?"
  6633. 44Narendra: The form that delights the world.
  6634. 45The Master sings softly:
  6635. 46Who has brought Gaura to Nadia, whose form delights the world? (His face veiled in curls) (Lightning against the cloud) (I look at another and see Sya…
  6636. 47The Master sings another song:
  6637. 48I could not reach Syam, my friend. How can I stay happy at home? If only Syam were the hair upon my head, I would braid it with care, my friend, and t…
  6638. 49Chapter Two
  6639. 50Inner Sight in the State of Bhava; Narendra and the Others Invited
  6640. 51The singing was over. The Master is talking with Narendra, Bhavanath and other devotees. Smiling, he says that Hazra had danced.
  6641. 52Narendra, smiling: Yes, sir, a little.
  6642. 53Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Just a little?
  6643. 54Narendra, smiling: His paunch had danced, and one other thing.
  6644. 55Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "That sways of its own accord; it swings without anyone swinging it." Everyone laughs.
  6645. 56There is talk of the Master's being invited to the house where Shashadhar is staying.
  6646. 57Narendra: Is the man who owns the house going to feed us?
  6647. 58Sri Ramakrishna: I hear he is not a man of good character; he is a rake.
  6648. 59Narendra: That is why you—the day you first met Shashadhar—would not drink water from a glass that they had touched. How did you know that the man's c…
  6649. 60From Earlier Days: Hazra and a Vaishnava at Hriday's House in Sihore
  6650. 61Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Hazra knows of one such case, in that part of the country, at Sihore, at Hriday's house.
  6651. 62Hazra: He was a Vaishnava. He had gone with me for darshan, and the moment he went and sat down, this one here turned and sat with his back to him.
  6652. 63Sri Ramakrishna: "It came out afterwards that he had been carrying on with his mother's sister." Then, to Narendra: "You used to say that all my state…
  6653. 64Narendra: Who knows! Now I have seen a great deal, and it all tallies!
  6654. 65Narendra says that in the state of bhava the Master sees everything within and without a person; he has put it to the test many times and found it so.
  6655. 66Sri Ramakrishna and the Question of a Devotee's Caste
  6656. 67Adhar has made great preparations to serve the Master and the devotees. Now he calls them in.
  6657. 68The Master says to Mahendra and Priyanath, the Mukherji brothers, "Well now, aren't you coming to eat?"
  6658. 69They answer humbly, "Please excuse us, sir."
  6659. 70Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: They are doing everything else; it is only this that they shy away from.
  6660. 71"There was a woman whose father-in-law and husband's elder brother were called Hari, Krishna, and so on. Now she has to chant Hari's name, doesn't she…
  6661. 72By caste Adhar was a Suvarnavanik. So some of the Brahmin devotees at first hesitated to eat at his house. A few days later, when they saw that Sri Ra…
  6662. 73It was nearly nine at night. The Master took his meal joyfully with Narendra, Bhavanath and the other devotees.
  6663. 74Now he comes to the parlour and rests; preparations are under way for the return to Dakshineswar.
  6664. 75For tomorrow, Sunday, the Mukherji brothers have arranged a kirtan at Dakshineswar for the Master's joy. Shyamadas the kirtan singer is to sing. Ram l…
  6665. 76The Master is asking Narendra to come to Dakshineswar tomorrow.
  6666. 77Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: You'll come tomorrow, won't you?
  6667. 78Narendra: Very well, I'll try.
  6668. 79Sri Ramakrishna: You can bathe there and have your meal.
  6669. 80"And he," meaning M., "may as well come and eat too." Then, to M.: "Are you over your illness now? You are not on a sick diet any longer, are you?"
  6670. 81M.: No, sir. I shall come too.
  6671. 82Nityagopal is at Vrindavan. Chunilal came back from Vrindavan a few days ago. The Master is asking him for news of Nityagopal. The Master is about to…
  6672. 83The Master says to him tenderly, "Come, then."
  6673. 84Then, tenderly, to Narendra and the others: "Narendra, Bhavanath, do come."
  6674. 85Narendra, Bhavanath and the other devotees bowed down to the ground before him. Remembering his wonderful joy in the kirtan and his wonderful dancing…
  6675. 86Today is the first day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra. The night is flooded with moonlight, as though it were smiling. Sri Ramakrishna, with Bhavanat…
  6676. 1Section Eighteen
  6677. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Dakshineswar Temple with Ram, Baburam, M., Chuni, Adhar, Bhavanath, Niranjan and Other Devotees
  6678. 3Chapter One
  6679. 4The Nectar of His Life from His Own Lips: Ghoshpara and the Doctrine of the Kartabhajas
  6680. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in his room in the Dakshineswar temple garden, on his own seat, the small bedstead. It is perhaps eleven…
  6681. 6Yesterday, Saturday, the Master graced the house of Sri Adhar Sen with his coming, together with the devotees. He held a great festival of kirtan of t…
  6682. 7First come Baburam, M., the brahmin from Srirampur, Manomohan, Bhavanath and Kishori; after them Chunilal, Haripada and others; and then, one by one,…
  6683. 8When M. has come in and bowed down to him, the Master says, "Didn't Narendra come?"
  6684. 9Narendra could not come that day. The brahmin from Srirampur has brought a book of Ramprasad's songs, and from time to time he reads a song from it al…
  6685. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to the brahmin: Go on, read!
  6686. 11The brahmin: Put on Your clothes, Mother, put on Your clothes, Mother, put on Your clothes.
  6687. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Leave all that alone, it's coarse and crude! Read something that will awaken devotion.
  6688. 13The brahmin: Who knows what Kali is like? The six systems of philosophy cannot catch a glimpse of Her.
  6689. 14The Master's "Man of Feeling": the Paramahamsa, the Baul and the Sain
  6690. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Yesterday at Adhar Sen's house, keeping to one side while I was in bhava, I got a pain in my legs. That's why I take Baburam w…
  6691. 16How shall I tell the thing in my heart? Friend, I am forbidden to speak. Without one who feels for me my life cannot go on. The man of my heart is kno…
  6692. 17"These are the songs of the Bauls. And there is another: 'Stand, O dervish, you who bear the beggar's bowl so dear, stand, let me gaze upon your form!…
  6693. 18"The Saktas call the perfected soul a kaula; the Vedanta calls him a paramahamsa; and in the doctrine of the Bauls and Vaishnavas he is a sain. 'Beyon…
  6694. 19"When a Baul is perfected he becomes a sain. Then everything is one, without distinction. Half his rosary is of cow-bone and half of tulsi. 'The water…
  6695. 20Alekh, News of the Wind, the Stages, the Work of Rasa, the Dropping of the Shell
  6696. 21"The sains say, 'Alekh! Alekh!' The Vedas say Brahman; they say Alekh, the Unseen. Of living beings they say, 'They come from Alekh and go back into A…
  6697. 22"They ask, 'Do you know the news of the wind?'
  6698. 23"That is, the news of the great current that rises through the Ida, the Pingala and the Sushumna when the Kulakundalini is awakened.
  6699. 24"They ask, 'At which stage are you?' There are six stages: the six centres.
  6700. 25"If one says he is at the fifth, it means his mind has risen to the Visuddha centre.
  6701. 26To M.: "Then one sees the Formless. As the song says." And saying this, the Master half sings the words: "Above that, Mother, there is space in the lo…
  6702. 27Former Days: the Coming of a Baul and of the Kartabhajas of Ghoshpara
  6703. 28"A Baul came here once. So I asked him, 'Is your work of rasa all finished? Has the shell come down from the pan?' The longer you boil the juice, the…
  6704. 29"When will the shell come down? That is, when will the sadhana be finished? When the senses are conquered. Just as a leech drops off of itself when yo…
  6705. 30"Many of them follow the path of the Radha Tantra. They practise their discipline with the five elements: the element of earth, of water, of fire, of…
  6706. 31"One day I was eating in the hall when a man of the Ghoshpara sect came. He came up and said, 'Are you eating, or are you feeding someone? That is, on…
  6707. 32"Those who are perfected on this path call the people of other paths 'jivas'. If a stranger is present they will not speak. They say, 'There's a jiva…
  6708. 33Former Days: the Visit to His Birthplace; at Sari Pathar's House with Hriday
  6709. 34"I saw one person of this sect in our part of the country, Sari, that is Saraswati, Pathar, a woman. People of this sect eat at one another's houses,…
  6710. 35"One day I went with Hriday to visit her house. She had made a fine grove of tulsi. She gave us fried peas and puffed rice, and I ate a little. Hriday…
  6711. 36"They call the state of perfection the sahaja state, the natural state. There is one group of them who keep shouting, 'Sahaja! Sahaja!' They speak of…
  6712. 37"They don't like the worship of the deity, the worship of images, and that sort of thing; what they want is a living man. So one group of them are cal…
  6713. 38Chapter Two
  6714. 39Sri Ramakrishna and the Harmony of All Religions
  6715. 40Why all Scriptures—all Religions—are true.
  6716. 41Sri Ramakrishna: Do you see how many kinds of doctrine there are? Doctrines and paths. Infinite doctrines, infinite paths!
  6717. 42Bhavanath: Then what are we to do?
  6718. 43Sri Ramakrishna: You must hold on to one with all your strength. You can get to the roof by a stone staircase, by a ladder, by a rope ladder; you can…
  6719. 44"And the other doctrines you should know to be so many paths. Never feel that yours is the right path and all the others are false. Let there be no il…
  6720. 45"Which Path Am I Of?" The Views of Keshab, Shashadhar and Vijay
  6721. 46"Well, which path am I of? Keshab Sen used to say, 'You are of our way; you are coming to the Formless.' Shashadhar says, 'He is ours.' And Vijay (Gos…
  6722. 47Is the Master saying that he has reached God by every path, and so knows the ways of every path? And that the people of every religion will find peace…
  6723. 48The Master is going towards the Panchavati, M. and one or two others with him, to wash his mouth. It is twelve o'clock, and the bore tide is due now.…
  6724. 49The Secret Truth of Bhava and Mahabhava: Watching the Ebb and Flow of the Ganges
  6725. 50He says to the devotees, "How wonderful the flood-tide and the ebb are!
  6726. 51"But notice one thing: near the sea the tide comes and goes in the river. Far from the sea the river flows one way only! What does that mean? Apply th…
  6727. 52To M.: "Well, why do the tides come?"
  6728. 53M.: English astronomy says it happens because of the pull of the sun and the moon.
  6729. 54With this M. draws a figure on the ground and shows the motions of the earth, the moon and the sun. The Master looks at it for a moment and says, "Sto…
  6730. 55While they were talking the bore came roaring up. In a moment the water surged with a great noise. Beating against the bank of the temple garden, the…
  6731. 56The Master watched with fixed gaze. Seeing a boat in the distance, he cried out like a boy, "Look, look! What will happen to that boat?"
  6732. 57Talking with M., the Master has come to the foot of the Panchavati. He has an umbrella with him and lays it down on the platform of the Panchavati. He…
  6733. 58Teaching for M.: the Right Use of Money; Concern for Narayan
  6734. 59Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Have you seen what Narayan's nature is like? He can mix with everyone, young and old alike! That isn't possible without a spec…
  6735. 60M.: Yes, sir, he seems very guileless.
  6736. 61Sri Ramakrishna: I hear he goes to your place?
  6737. 62M.: Yes, sir, he has been once or twice.
  6738. 63Sri Ramakrishna: Will you give him one rupee? Or should I ask Kali?
  6739. 64M.: Very well, sir, I'll give it.
  6740. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Very good. It is good to give to those who have love for God. That is the right use of money. What good is it to spend it all on the…
  6741. 66Kishori has had children. His pay is small and it does not go far. The Master says to M., "Narayan said he would get Kishori a job. Won't you remind N…
  6742. 67M. was standing in the Panchavati. After a while the Master came back from the tamarisk grove and said to M., "Tell them to spread a mat outside, will…
  6743. 68Reaching his room, the Master says, "Not one of you remembered to bring the umbrella!" Everyone laughed. "People in a great hurry can't see even what…
  6744. 69"And another man hunted and hunted for his towel, and then found it was on his shoulder all the time!"
  6745. 70The Master's Midday Meal; Baburam and His Other Companions
  6746. 71Mother Kali's prasad of rice was brought for the Master, and the Master is to take his meal. It is about one o'clock. After eating he will rest a litt…
  6747. 72The Master is resting a little. He says to Baburam, "Baburam, come a little closer, won't you?" Baburam says, "I'm making the betel rolls."
  6748. 73Sri Ramakrishna says, "Leave the betel alone."
  6749. 74The Master is resting. Meanwhile a few devotees are sitting under the bakul tree and in the Panchavati: the Mukherjis, Chunilal, Haripada, Bhavanath a…
  6750. 75Chapter Three
  6751. 76In the Joy of Sankirtan with the Devotees; Dancing with the Devotees
  6752. 77The Master has rested a little. Shyamdas and his troupe are singing kirtan of the Mathur story, beginning "In the joy of seeing the Lord", and so on.…
  6753. 78The sea of joy has become a desert. The chataki looks to the cloud and dies.
  6754. 79Hearing this picture of Radha's anguish of separation, the Master is passing into bhava. He sits on his own seat on the small bedstead; Baburam, Niran…
  6755. 80The Master asked Navai Chaitanya of Konnagar to sing kirtan. Navai is Manomohan's uncle. He has retired on a pension and spends his days in worship an…
  6756. 81Navai is singing the sankirtan aloud. Leaving his seat, the Master began to dance. At once Navai and the devotees began to dance and sing kirtan all r…
  6757. 82When the kirtan is over the Master sits down on his own seat. After the name of Hari he now chants the name of the blissful Mother. Drunk with bhava,…
  6758. 83Song: O Mother, You are the Blissful One; do not leave me without bliss.
  6759. 84Song: Think, and the feeling rises in the heart. As the feeling is, so is the gain; the root of it is faith. The devotee of Kali is free while living,…
  6760. 85Song: Mother Tara, what a madcap's market You keep! To whom shall I tell Your virtues, Mother? Without an elephant to ride, You roam about in wild way…
  6761. 86Song: Who cares for Gaya, the Ganges, Prabhasa, Kasi or Kanchi, if, as I cry "Kali, Kali", my breath of life runs out?
  6762. 87Song: Stay within yourself, O mind; do not go into another's house. Whatever you want, you will find sitting where you are: search your own inner cham…
  6763. 88Song: The black bee of my mind is lost in the blue lotus of Syama's feet.
  6764. 89Song: Keep the darling Mother Syama with care in your heart. Let you, my mind, see Her, and I see Her, and let no one else see Her.
  6765. 90As he sings this song the Master rises to his feet, almost mad with love for the Mother. "Keep the darling Mother Syama in your heart": it is as if he…
  6766. 91Now the Master seems drunk, as though with wine. Dancing, he sings again:
  6767. 92Is my Mother black? Black of form, unclad, She lights the lotus of the heart!
  6768. 93Seeing the Master sway heavily as he sang, Niranjan went to hold him. The Master stopped him, saying softly, "Hey, you rascal! Don't touch me!" Seeing…
  6769. 94Mahima the Vedantist Dances in the Sankirtan with the Lord, and the Master's Joy
  6770. 95The Master is seated on his own seat, brimming over and drunk with bhava!
  6771. 96When the bhava has calmed a little he says, "Om, Om, Om, Om, Om ... Om Kali!" Then he says, "I'll have a smoke." Many of the devotees are standing. Ma…
  6772. 97Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: Please sit down, all of you.
  6773. 98"Recite something from the Vedas for us."
  6774. 99Mahimacharan recites "Jaya jajvamana" and the rest.
  6775. 100Then he recites a hymn from the Mahanirvana Tantra:
  6776. 101Om. Salutation to You, the Real, the cause of the world; salutation to You, Consciousness, refuge of all the worlds. Salutation to You, the Truth with…
  6777. 102The Master listened to the hymn with folded hands. At the end of the recitation he bowed down with deep devotion, and the devotees bowed down too.
  6778. 103Adhar came from Calcutta and bowed down to the Master.
  6779. 104Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What joy there was today! Mahim Chakravarti is coming round to this side. Did you see the joy there is in the name of Hari? Di…
  6780. 105M.: Yes, sir.
  6781. 106Mahimacharan is given to the pursuit of knowledge. Today he has taken the name of Hari, and at the kirtan he danced; that is why the Master is so deli…
  6782. 107Evening was approaching. One by one most of the devotees bowed down to the Master and took their leave.
  6783. 108Chapter Four
  6784. 109Activity or Renunciation? Adhar's Post; Courting Worldly Men, and Service
  6785. 110Evening came. The attendant lit the lamps on the long verandah to the south and on the round verandah to the west. In the Master's room a lamp was lit…
  6786. 111The Master is sitting on his own seat, absorbed, chanting the Mother's name and thinking of Her.
  6787. 112Adhar has come and sat down. M. and Niranjan are in the room too. The Master is talking with Adhar.
  6788. 113Sri Ramakrishna: "Why, you've come only now! How much kirtan and dancing there has been! It was Shyamdas's kirtan; he is Ram's teacher. But I didn't c…
  6789. 114Adhar is a deputy magistrate on a salary of three hundred rupees. He had applied for the Calcutta Municipality's post of Vice-Chairman, with a salary…
  6790. 115Renunciation Is Best; Courting Small-Minded Worldly Men for a Post
  6791. 116Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and Niranjan: Hazra told me, "Adhar will get the post; you just say a word to the Mother." And Adhar asked me too. I did say a…
  6792. 117To Adhar: "Why did you go running so much after those small-minded people? You've seen and heard so much! After the whole seven books of the Ramayana,…
  6793. 118Adhar: If one lives in the world one can't manage without doing all this. You haven't forbidden it, have you?
  6794. 119How He Was Called to Sign for His Salary after the Divine Madness
  6795. 120Sri Ramakrishna: Renunciation is good; worldly activity is not good. After this state came on me they called me to sign for my salary, as everybody si…
  6796. 121"I am the servant of God alone. Whose servant shall I be besides?
  6797. 122"Mallick engaged a brahmin cook for me because my meals were late. For one month he paid a rupee. Then I felt ashamed. The moment he sent for me, I ha…
  6798. 123"Courting small-minded people! In the world there are all these things, and how much else besides?
  6799. 124Former Days: the Master's Prayer after the Divine Madness; Contentment, "Contentment"
  6800. 125"As soon as this state came on me, I saw how things were going and at once said to the Mother, 'Mother, turn me back right here!' Like Sudhamukhi's co…
  6801. 126Boyhood: Seeing Isvar Ghosal, the Deputy, at Kamarpukur
  6802. 127"Whoever's service you are doing, do it for him alone. People hanker after fifty or a hundred rupees a month! You are getting three hundred. In our pa…
  6803. 128"Whoever's service you are doing, do it for him alone. The mind is spoilt by serving even one master; and then by serving five!
  6804. 129Service Condemned; Sambhu's and Mathur's Regard for Wealth; Narendra the Headmaster
  6805. 130"A woman once fell in love with a Mussalman and invited him to her house to talk with her. The Mussalman was a holy man. He said, 'I must make water;…
  6806. 131Narendra has been in great hardship since his father's death. He is looking for work to support his mother and brothers. For some days he worked as he…
  6807. 132Adhar: Well, will Narendra take up work or not?
  6808. 133Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, he will. He has his mother and brothers.
  6809. 134Adhar: Well, Narendra can manage on fifty rupees, and he can manage on a hundred. Will he try for a hundred or not?
  6810. 135Sri Ramakrishna: Worldly people prize wealth; they think there's nothing else like it. Sambhu said, "It is my wish to lay all this property at His lot…
  6811. 136"When the jewels were stolen, Sejo Babu said, 'O Lord! Couldn't You protect Your jewels? See how Hamsesvari protected hers!'
  6812. 137The Strict Rule of the Sannyasi; Mathur's Plan to Deed Him an Estate
  6813. 138"Sejo Babu once said he would deed an estate over to me. I heard it from the Kali temple. Sejo Babu and Hriday were plotting it together. I came and s…
  6814. 139Adhar: You are right; since the creation there have been at the most six or seven like that.
  6815. 140Sri Ramakrishna: Why, of course there are men of renunciation! When someone gives up wealth, people come to know of it. But there are others like that…
  6816. 141Adhar: In Calcutta I know of one: Devendra Tagore.
  6817. 142Sri Ramakrishna: What are you saying? Who has enjoyed the world as he has? When I went to his house with Sejo Babu, I saw a crowd of little children;…
  6818. 143Niranjan: He paid off all of Dwarakanath Tagore's debts.
  6819. 144Sri Ramakrishna: Stop all that talk! Don't plague me any more! The man who has the means and doesn't pay his father's debts, is he a man at all?
  6820. 145"But worldly people are utterly sunk; compared with them he is very good. They will learn from him.
  6821. 146"There is a great difference between the true devotee who has renounced and the devotee who lives in the world. The true sannyasi, the true devotee wh…
  6822. 147"The true devotee who has renounced is like the chataka bird. The chataka will drink nothing but the rain from the cloud under the star Svati! The sev…
  6823. 148Chapter Five
  6824. 149Chaitanyadeva, Sri Ramakrishna and Honour among Men
  6825. 150Adhar: Chaitanya too had his enjoyments.
  6826. 151Sri Ramakrishna, astonished: What did he enjoy?
  6827. 152Adhar: Such a scholar! Such honour!
  6828. 153Sri Ramakrishna: Honour to others. To him it was nothing!
  6829. 154"Whether you honour me or Niranjan honours me, it is the same to me; I tell you truly. That a moneyed man should be in my hands: that thought never co…
  6830. 155Adhar: I suppose he gives ten rupees a month?
  6831. 156Sri Ramakrishna: Ten rupees does for two months. The devotees stay here; he gives it for the service of the devotees. That is his merit; what is it to…
  6832. 157M.: It is like a mother's love.
  6833. 158Sri Ramakrishna: Even a mother loves partly because the child will earn and feed her. I love these boys because I see them as Narayana Himself! Not ju…
  6834. 159God Takes the Burden of the True Renouncer: "Those Who Think of Me Alone"
  6835. 160Sri Ramakrishna, to Adhar: Listen! When the lamp is lit there is no lack of moths! Attain Him, and He provides everything; He leaves no want unmet. Wh…
  6836. 161"A young sannyasi once went to a householder's house to beg. He had been a monk from birth and knew nothing of the ways of the world. A young daughter…
  6837. 162"Listen! The woman who has given up everything for her lover will not say to him, 'You wretch, I'll sit on your chest and eat!'
  6838. 163The Story Told by Totapuri; a King's Service of Holy Men; the Master Sees the Mohant at the Nanakpanthi Monastery near the Durga Temple at Kasi, 1868
  6839. 164"The Naked One told me that a certain king fed the holy men on golden plates and golden tumblers. At Kasi I saw in a monastery how much honour the moh…
  6840. 165"But the true holy man, the true renouncer, wants neither a golden plate nor honour. Yet God leaves them in no want! Whatever is needed to reach Him,…
  6841. 166"You are a magistrate; what can I say? Do what you think best. I am a fool."
  6842. 167Adhar, smiling, to the devotees: He is examining me.
  6843. 168Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Renunciation is best! Don't you see, I didn't sign. God alone is the Real; all else is unreal!
  6844. 169Hazra came and sat down on the floor near the devotees. Now and then Hazra repeats "Soham, Soham": "I am He, I am He!" He says to Latu and the other d…
  6845. 170Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: I said to Latu, "Who is it that worships whom?"
  6846. 171Hazra: The devotee calls on none but himself.
  6847. 172Sri Ramakrishna: That's a very lofty thing to say. Vrindhavali said to King Bali, "What wealth will you give to the Lord of the brahmins?"
  6848. 173"What you are saying is the very thing for which there is all this sadhana and worship, all this chanting of His name and glories.
  6849. 174"If you can see your Self within yourself, everything is done! All spiritual practice is for the sake of seeing That. And the body is for the sake of…
  6850. 175"He is not within only. He is within and without! In the Kali temple the Mother showed me that everything is Spirit! The Mother Herself has become eve…
  6851. 176"It is to realize this that one calls on Him, with sadhana and worship and the chanting of His name and glories. It is for this that one has devotion…
  6852. 177As a mother bird shelters her young under her wings to protect them, so the compassionate guru, Sri Ramakrishna, is protecting his devotees!
  6853. 178Adhar and Niranjan went out on the verandah for some refreshment. When they had eaten they came back into the room. M. is sitting on the floor near th…
  6854. 179The Brahmo Boy Who Had Passed Four Examinations: "Argue with Him?"
  6855. 180Adhar, smiling: We have talked so much, and he (M.) hasn't said a single word.
  6856. 181Sri Ramakrishna: There was a young man of Keshab's party who had passed four examinations (Varada?). Everyone was arguing with me, and he would only l…
  6857. 182Sri Ram Chakravarti, the priest of the Vishnu temple, came into the Master's room. The Master says to him, "Look here, Ram! Did you tell Dayal about t…
  6858. 183The Master's Night Meal: "I Can't Eat What Everyone Brings"
  6859. 184At night the Master's meal is one or two luchis that have been offered to Mother Kali, and a little farina pudding. He has sat down on his seat on the…
  6860. 185Latu: Shall I give you this gaja?
  6861. 186Sri Ramakrishna: Did Kishori bring it?
  6862. 187Latu: Will this do for you?
  6863. 188Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes.
  6864. 189M. is a man of English education. The Master says to him, "I can't eat what just anyone brings! Do you believe in all this?"
  6865. 190M.: Yes, sir; in time I shall have to accept it all.
  6866. 191Sri Ramakrishna: Yes.
  6867. 192The Master went to the round verandah on the west side to wash his hands. M. is pouring water over his hands.
  6868. 193It is autumn. The moon has risen, and the clear sky and the breast of the Bhagirathi are glittering. The tide has ebbed; the Bhagirathi is flowing sou…
  6869. 1Section Nineteen
  6870. 2The Master at the Dakshineswar Temple with Narendra and Other Devotees
  6871. 3Chapter One
  6872. 4"Go Beyond Knowledge and Ignorance": Shashadhar's Dry Knowledge
  6873. 5After his midday meal Sri Ramakrishna is resting in his room at the Dakshineswar temple, with the devotees about him. Narendra, Bhavanath and other de…
  6874. 6Since his father's death Narendra has been sorely pressed, with his mother and brothers to provide for. He is to prepare for the law examination.
  6875. 7Jnan Babu has passed four examinations and is in government service. He arrived between ten and eleven o'clock.
  6876. 8Sri Ramakrishna, seeing Jnan Babu: Well now! What a sudden dawning of knowledge!
  6877. 9Jnan, smiling: Yes, sir, it is by great good fortune that knowledge dawns.
  6878. 10Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: You are Jnan, knowledge; why then the ignorance? Oh, I see: where there is knowledge there is ignorance too! Even the sage V…
  6879. 11The Unattached Householder: the Carpenters' Women at Work in the Master's Birthplace
  6880. 12"'This world is a framework of illusion,' says the jnani. But the one who has gone beyond knowledge and ignorance says, 'It is a house of fun!' He see…
  6881. 13"After realizing Him one can live in the world; then one can be unattached. In that part of the country I have watched the women of the carpenter fami…
  6882. 14"Keep three quarters of the mind on God, and with the other quarter do your work.
  6883. 15He is speaking to the devotees about Pandit Shashadhar: "I found him one-sided. He is taken up only with dry reasoning about knowledge.
  6884. 16"One who has reached the Eternal and then lives with the Lila, and can go back again from the Lila to the Eternal: his is ripe knowledge, ripe devotio…
  6885. 17"Narada and the others kept devotion after the knowledge of Brahman. This is what is called vijnana.
  6886. 18"Mere dry knowledge! It is like a poor firework fountain that flares up with a whoosh: it throws out a few sparks and bursts with a pop. The knowledge…
  6887. 19Sri Ramakrishna under the Bakul Tree, Returning in Bhava from the Tamarisk Grove
  6888. 20After his midday meal the Master had rested a little.
  6889. 21Under the bakul tree there is a seat like a bench, and a few devotees were sitting there and chatting: Bhavanath, the two Mukherji brothers, M., Chhot…
  6890. 22Hazra, to Chhota Gopal: Give him a little tobacco to smoke.
  6891. 23Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Say you want to smoke yourself." Everyone laughed.
  6892. 24Mukherji, to Hazra: You have learnt a great deal from him!
  6893. 25Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "No, he has been like this from his childhood." Everyone laughed.
  6894. 26The devotees saw the Master coming back from the tamarisk grove. He was filled with bhava and walked like a drunken man. By the time he reached his ro…
  6895. 27Chapter Two
  6896. 28The Master's Concern for Narayan; the Devotees from Konnagar; Sri Ramakrishna's Samadhi and Narendra's Singing
  6897. 29Many devotees have gathered in the Master's room. Among the devotees from Konnagar is a sadhaka who has come for the first time, a man of over fifty.…
  6898. 30M., smiling: When there was no universe, where did You find Your garland of heads?
  6899. 31The sadhaka, annoyed: That is another matter.
  6900. 32Standing in the middle of the room, the Master suddenly said to M., "He came here, Narayan."
  6901. 33Narendra was on the verandah talking with Hazra and others, and the sound of their argument could be heard from the Master's room.
  6902. 34Sri Ramakrishna: How he can talk! And now he is weighed down with worries about his family.
  6903. 35M.: Yes, sir.
  6904. 36Sri Ramakrishna: Didn't he say once that he would look on adversity as good fortune? Well?
  6905. 37M.: Yes, sir. He has great strength of mind.
  6906. 38Bara Kali: "What is he lacking in?" The Master has sat down on his own seat. One of the devotees from Konnagar said to him, "Sir, he (the sadhaka) has…
  6907. 39The sadhaka sat with his body and head held high.
  6908. 40The sadhaka: Sir, what is the way?
  6909. 41The Way to the Vision of God; Faith in the Guru's Word; When the Scriptures Are Truly Grasped
  6910. 42Sri Ramakrishna: Faith in the guru's word. Go on holding fast to his word and you will attain God, just as by following a thread you come to the thing…
  6911. 43The sadhaka: Can He be seen?
  6912. 44Sri Ramakrishna: He is beyond the reach of the worldly mind. While there is the least trace of attachment to woman and gold, He cannot be attained. Bu…
  6913. 45The sadhaka: But the scriptures say, "From which words turn back, together with the mind, failing to reach it." He is beyond words and mind.
  6914. 46Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, let that be, let that be! Without spiritual practice you cannot understand the meaning of the scriptures. What use is it to keep…
  6915. 47"What is the good of only saying, 'There is butter in milk, there is butter in milk'? Set the milk to curd and churn it; then you will have it!"
  6916. 48The sadhaka: Taking out the butter: all that is just the talk of the scriptures.
  6917. 49Sri Ramakrishna: What is the use of saying or hearing the talk of the scriptures? You must take it in and hold it. The almanac says there will be twen…
  6918. 50The sadhaka: Taking out the butter: have you taken it out yourself?
  6919. 51Sri Ramakrishna: Never mind what I have done or not done. Besides, these things are very hard to explain. If someone asks what ghee tastes like, the a…
  6920. 52"To know these things you need the company of holy men. Which is the pulse of phlegm, which of bile, which of wind: to know that you have to live with…
  6921. 53The sadhaka: Some people are annoyed at having to live with others.
  6922. 54Sri Ramakrishna: That comes after knowledge, after God is attained. Before that, doesn't one need the company of holy men?
  6923. 55The sadhaka sat silent.
  6924. 56The sadhaka, after a while, heatedly: If you have been able to know Him, tell us: whether by direct perception or by inner experience. Tell us if you…
  6925. 57Sri Ramakrishna, smiling a little: What am I to say? Only a hint can be given.
  6926. 58The sadhaka: Then tell us that!
  6927. 59Narendra was going to sing. He said, "You haven't brought the pakhwaj."
  6928. 60Chhota Gopal: Mahim (Mahimacharan) Babu has one.
  6929. 61Sri Ramakrishna: No, there's no need to bring anything of his.
  6930. 62First one of the Konnagar devotees sang some songs in the classical style.
  6931. 63While the songs went on, the Master glanced now and then at the sadhaka. The singer was arguing hotly with Narendra about music.
  6932. 64The sadhaka, to the singer: You are no better yourself, my boy! What is the use of all this arguing?
  6933. 65Another man had joined in the argument. The Master said to the sadhaka, "Didn't you scold him at all?"
  6934. 66Sri Ramakrishna said to the devotees from Konnagar, "I see he doesn't get on well even with you!" Narendra sang:
  6935. 67Shall my days go by in vain, O Lord? Day and night, O Lord, I watch the road of hope.
  6936. 68As he listened, the sadhaka went into meditation. The Master was sitting at the north end of the bedstead, facing south. It was perhaps three or four…
  6937. 69How shall I call on Thee with this soiled and muddy mind? Can a straw enter where the blazing fire is? Thou art the home of holiness, like a blazing f…
  6938. 70Chapter Three
  6939. 71Teaching to Narendra and Others: "In the Vedas and Vedanta Only a Hint"
  6940. 72Narendra sang:
  6941. 73Beautiful is Thy name, O Refuge of the lowly. A stream of nectar flows from it that soothes the ear and delights the soul. Deep heaps of sorrow vanish…
  6942. 74The moment Narendra sang, "In the singing of Thy name the heart turns sweet," the Master went into samadhi! As samadhi began, the fingers of his hands…
  6943. 75Bhavanath: Please stay seated. This is his state of samadhi!
  6944. 76The devotees from Konnagar took their seats again. Narendra sang:
  6945. 77Day and night, with loving care, I have made Thee a seat within my heart; O Lord of the world, wilt Thou in Thy grace come and dwell there?
  6946. 78In bhava the Master came down from his bed and sat on the floor beside Narendra.
  6947. 79Song: In the sky of the Spirit the moon of love has risen full. The ocean of love is swelling: what bliss it is! Victory to the Merciful! Victory to t…
  6948. 80At the words "Victory to the Merciful!" the Master rose to his feet, and again he was in samadhi!
  6949. 81A long while after, he came partly back to the normal state and again sat down on the mat on the floor. Narendra had finished singing, and the tanpura…
  6950. 82"He is beyond the Vedas and their rules! Can you attain Him by reading the scriptures, the Vedas and Vedanta?" To Narendra: "Do you understand? In the…
  6951. 83Narendra asked again for the tanpura to be brought. The Master said, "I'll sing." He was still in bhava, and he sang:
  6952. 84This is the grief that grieves me, Syama: that with You for my mother, Mother, I am robbed while I am awake.
  6953. 85"Mother! Why do You make me reason?" Again he sang:
  6954. 86This time I have thought it out well; from one who thinks well I have learnt how to think. Sleep has broken, and can I sleep again? Now I am awake in…
  6955. 87The Master said, "I am in my senses." He was still in the state of bhava.
  6956. 88Song: I drink no wine; I drink nectar, crying, "Victory to Kali!" My drunken mind makes me drunk, and drunkards say that I am drunk.
  6957. 89The Master had said, "Mother, no more reasoning for me; I won't hear it."
  6958. 90Narendra sang:
  6959. 91Make me mad, Mother; I have done with knowledge and reasoning. Make me drunk with the wine of Your love; O You who steal the hearts of Your devotees,…
  6960. 92Smiling a little, the Master said, "'Make me mad, Mother!' He cannot be attained by knowledge and reasoning, by reasoning over the scriptures."
  6961. 93The Master had been pleased to hear the Konnagar singer's classical songs and his alap of the ragas. He said to him humbly, "My son, just one song wit…
  6962. 94The singer: Sir! Please excuse me.
  6963. 95Sri Ramakrishna, bowing to the singer with folded hands: "No, my son! Just one! I can insist on that!" With these words he sang a kirtan of Vrinda's w…
  6964. 96Rai may say so, she has the right to say it! (She is lying awake for Krishna!) (She has been awake the whole night!) (If she chooses to sulk, she may…
  6965. 97"My son! You are the child of the Mother who is Brahman! She dwells in every vessel! Of course I shall say it. The peasant said to his guru, 'I'll tak…
  6966. 98The singer, smiling: With a shoe!
  6967. 99Sri Ramakrishna, bowing to his guru in his heart, smiling: Not as far as that.
  6968. 100Again filled with bhava, he said, "The beginner, the sadhaka, the perfected one, and the one perfect among the perfected. Are you perfected, or perfec…
  6969. 101The singer sang the alap of a raga and then a song: "O mind, restrain..."
  6970. 102Joy in Sabda-Brahman: "Mother, Is It I or You?"
  6971. 103Sri Ramakrishna, hearing the alap: Ah, sir! There is joy in this too, sir!
  6972. 104The singing came to an end. The devotees from Konnagar bowed and took their leave. The sadhaka bowed with folded hands and said, "Goswamiji! I'll take…
  6973. 105"Mother! Is it I or You? Is it I who do anything? No, no, it is You.
  6974. 106"Was it You who listened to the reasoning, or was it I who listened all this while? No, not I; it was You who listened!"
  6975. 107A Sadhu Teaches the Master; the Tamasic Sadhu
  6976. 108The Master had come back to the normal state. He was talking with the devotees, Narendra, Bhavanath, the Mukherji brothers and others. The talk turned…
  6977. 109Bhavanath, smiling: What a sort of man!
  6978. 110Sri Ramakrishna: A tamasic devotee.
  6979. 111Bhavanath: He can recite slokas by the dozen.
  6980. 112Sri Ramakrishna: I once said of somebody, "That's a rajasic sadhu. Why give him provisions and such?" Another sadhu taught me a lesson: "Don't talk li…
  6981. 113Narendra, smiling: What, the elephant Narayana? Everything is Narayana.
  6982. 114Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: It is She who is playing in the forms of vidya and avidya. I bow down to both. It says in the Chandi, "She is Lakshmi, and i…
  6983. 115Bhavanath, smiling: I don't know, sir. The Konnagar devotees didn't understand that you were going into samadhi, and they were getting up to go.
  6984. 116Sri Ramakrishna: And who was it saying, "Please sit down"?
  6985. 117Bhavanath, smiling: That was me!
  6986. 118Sri Ramakrishna: My child, you are as good at gathering people as at driving them away.
  6987. 119Narendra had argued with the singer, and that was now being talked about.
  6988. 120Doctrine of Non-resistance and Sri Ramakrishna; Teaching to Narendra; the Tamas of Sattva; the Glory of the Name of Hari
  6989. 121Mukherji: Narendra didn't let him off.
  6990. 122Sri Ramakrishna: No, one must have that kind of fire! This is called the tamas of sattva. Must you listen to whatever people say? Are you to say to a…
  6991. 123Now the talk turned to the glory of the name of Hari.
  6992. 124Bhavanath: When I take the name of Hari, my body feels as if it were emptied.
  6993. 125Sri Ramakrishna: He who takes away sin is Hari. Hari takes away the three afflictions.
  6994. 126"And Chaitanyadeva preached the name of Hari, so it must be good. See what a great pandit Chaitanyadeva was, and he was an Incarnation too; since he p…
  6995. 127The Wish to See Sivanath; Mahendra's Plan of Pilgrimage
  6996. 128The Master wished to go and see Sivanath (Shastri), and so he said to the Mukherjis, "I'd like to go and see Sivanath once. If I go in your carriage,…
  6997. 129Mukherji: Yes, sir. We'll fix a day for it.
  6998. 130Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Well, will they like us? The Brahmo devotees speak so ill of those who believe in God with form.
  6999. 131Sri Mahendra Mukherji was going on a pilgrimage, and he was telling the Master of it.
  7000. 132Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What's this? You are going before the sprout of love has even come up? First the sprout must come, then the plant, and then…
  7001. 133Mahendra: Yes, sir, I have a little wish to go about and see places. I'll be back again soon.
  7002. 134Chapter Four
  7003. 135Narendra's Devotion; the Mood of Sri Gauranga with the Devotees in Jadu Mallick's Garden
  7004. 136It is afternoon, perhaps five o'clock. The Master has risen. The devotees are walking in the garden; many of them will soon take their leave.
  7005. 137The Master is talking with Hazra on the north verandah. These days Narendra often goes to see Annada, the eldest son of the Guha family.
  7006. 138Hazra: Annada, the Guhas' son: I hear he is practising great austerity. He lives on very little; he eats rice only once in four days.
  7007. 139Sri Ramakrishna: You don't say! "Who knows in what guise Narayana may be found?"
  7008. 140Hazra: Narendra sang an agamani song.
  7009. 141Sri Ramakrishna, eagerly: How did it go?
  7010. 142Kishori was standing near. The Master said to him, "Are you keeping well?"
  7011. 143The Master is on the round verandah to the west. It is autumn. He is putting on a flannel shirt dyed in ochre, and he says to Narendra, "You sang an a…
  7012. 144Tell me, Mother, how you lived in a stranger's house, Uma. I hear so many things from so many people that I could die of it. Your husband smears his l…
  7013. 145The Master stood listening, and as he listened he was filled with bhava.
  7014. 146There is still a little daylight left; the sun can be seen in the western sky. The Master is filled with bhava. On one side of him is the Ganges, flow…
  7015. 147Dusk fell. Narendra and the other devotees had bowed and taken their leave. The Master returned to his room and was repeating the name of the Mother o…
  7016. 148Sri Jadu Mallick has come to his garden next door today. Whenever he comes to the garden he usually sends someone to fetch the Master; today too he ha…
  7017. 149In Sri Jadu Mallick's Garden with the Devotees: the Mood of Sri Gauranga
  7018. 150The Master is going to Sri Jadu Mallick's garden. He says to Latu, "Light the lantern; come along for a little."
  7019. 151The Master is going with Latu alone. M. is with them.
  7020. 152Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Why didn't you bring Narayan?
  7021. 153M.: Shall I come along?
  7022. 154Sri Ramakrishna: You'll come? Adhar and the others are all there. All right, come.
  7023. 155The Mukherjis were standing by the path. The Master said to M., "Will they come?" To the Mukherjis: "All right, come along. Then I'll be able to get a…
  7024. 156Talk with Jadu Mallick of the Chaitanya Lila and of Adhar's Post
  7025. 157The Master has come into Jadu Mallick's drawing-room. It is a handsomely furnished room, with wall lamps burning in the room and on the verandah. Sri…
  7026. 158Jadu is a devotee of Gauranga. He has been to see the Chaitanya Lila at the Star Theatre, and he is telling the Master about it. He says that the Chai…
  7027. 159The Master listened with delight to the story of the Chaitanya Lila, now and then playing with the hand of one of Jadu's little sons. M. and the Mukhe…
  7028. 160Sri Adhar Sen had been trying to get the Calcutta Municipality's post of Vice-Chairman. It carried a salary of a thousand rupees a month. Adhar is a d…
  7029. 161Sri Ramakrishna, to Jadu: Well? Adhar didn't get the post?
  7030. 162Jadu and his friends said that Adhar was still young enough for the post.
  7031. 163After a while Jadu said, "Do sing His name a little."
  7032. 164In the form of songs the Master spoke of the moods of Gauranga:
  7033. 165Song: My Gaur is dancing. He dances in the kirtan, in the courtyard of Srivas, with all his devotees.
  7034. 166Song: My Gaur, my jewel.
  7035. 167Song: Gaur gazes towards Vrindavan, and tears stream from his two eyes! (Of course bhava will come, the bhava of Sri Gauranga, the treasure-house of b…
  7036. 168Song: Why has my body turned golden? (Oh, it has turned golden!) What have you done, dear one? You have brought the dawn before its time; you have mad…
  7037. 169Chapter Five
  7038. 170Concern for Sri Rakhal; Jadu Mallick; Bholanath's Deposition
  7039. 171When the songs were over, the Mukherjis rose, and the Master rose with them. But he was filled with bhava. Coming out onto the verandah of the room, h…
  7040. 172Sri Ratan, the steward of the garden, came and bowed to him.
  7041. 173The Master came back to the normal state. Saying, "Narayana! Narayana!" he greeted them.
  7042. 174With the devotees the Master came to the main gate of the temple garden. The Mukherjis were already waiting there by the gate.
  7043. 175Adhar had been looking for the Master.
  7044. 176Mukherji, smiling: Mahendra Babu has slipped away and come here.
  7045. 177Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Mukherji: You must all meet this one often and talk with him.
  7046. 178Priya Mukherji, smiling: He'll be our schoolmaster now.
  7047. 179Sri Ramakrishna: "It is the nature of a hemp-smoker to be glad when he sees another hemp-smoker. When a rich man comes, he won't say a word to him; bu…
  7048. 180The Master was walking along the garden path towards his room, facing west. On the way he said, "Jadu is a thorough Hindu. He quotes a great deal from…
  7049. 181Mani had come to the Kali temple, bowed down and was sipping the holy water from the Mother's feet. The Master arrived there; he was going to see the…
  7050. 182It was about nine at night. The Mukherjis bowed and took their leave. Adhar and M. sat on the floor, and the Master talked with Adhar about Sri Rakhal…
  7051. 183Rakhal is in Vrindavan with Balaram. A letter had brought word that he was ill. Two or three days before, the Master had been so anxious on hearing of…
  7052. 184Sri Ramakrishna: Narayan got a letter, and you haven't had an answer?
  7053. 185Adhar: No, sir, not yet.
  7054. 186Sri Ramakrishna: And he has written to M.
  7055. 187There was talk of the Master's going to see the Chaitanya Lila.
  7056. 188Sri Ramakrishna, laughing, to the devotees: Jadu was saying one can see very well from a one-rupee seat; it's cheap.
  7057. 189"Once there was talk of his taking us to Panihati, and Jadu told us to go in the passenger boat!" Everyone laughed.
  7058. 190"Earlier he used to listen a little to talk of God. A devotee used to visit him, but now I don't see him any more. He always has a crowd of flatterers…
  7059. 191"He is a great one for accounts. The moment I arrive he asks, 'How much is the fare?' I tell him, 'You needn't bother to hear it; just give two and a…
  7060. 192A latrine has been built at the southern end of the temple garden, and over it there is a dispute going on with Sri Jadu Mallick. Jadu's garden is nex…
  7061. 193Ever since Sri Bholanath, the clerk of the temple garden, gave his deposition before the judge, he has been badly frightened. He had told the Master,…
  7062. 194The Master, looking almost anxious, sat up and asked them to tell Adhar the whole story. When Adhar had heard it all, he said, "Oh, it's nothing. He'l…
  7063. 195It was night. Adhar was going to take his leave, and he bowed to the Master.
  7064. 196Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Bring Narayan.
  7065. 1Section Twenty
  7066. 2At Dakshineswar with Mahendra, Rakhal, Radhika Goswami and Other Devotees
  7067. 3Chapter One
  7068. 4Teaching to Mahendra and Others: the Captain's Devotion and the Service of Father and Mother
  7069. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in his familiar room in the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. It is autumn: Friday, the nineteenth of Septembe…
  7070. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahendra and the other devotees: I had gone to the Captain's house in Calcutta. By the time I got back, the night was far gone.
  7071. 7"What a nature the Captain has! What devotion! He wears a small cloth to perform the arati. First he waves a lamp with three wicks, then again one wit…
  7072. 8"He does not speak at such times. He made a sign to me to sit on the seat.
  7073. 9"While he worships, the look in his eyes is exactly as if a wasp had stung him!
  7074. 10"He can't sing, you know. But he recites hymns beautifully.
  7075. 11"He sits below, near his mother. The mother—she will sit on the seat.
  7076. 12"His father was a havildar under the English. On the battlefield he would hold a gun in one hand and worship Siva with the other. His orderly would ke…
  7077. 13"Now and then he sends his mother to Kasi. Twelve or thirteen people are there to look after her. It costs a great deal. The Vedanta, the Gita, the Bh…
  7078. 14"He says the gentlemen of Calcutta live like mlechchhas.
  7079. 15"He used to practise hatha yoga, and so when I go into samadhi or bhava he strokes my head with his hand.
  7080. 16"The Captain's wife has a deity of her own, Gopala. I didn't find her so close-fisted on this visit. She too knows the Gita and such books. What devot…
  7081. 17"They make a dry curry of goat's meat. The Captain says it keeps for fifteen days, but his wife said, 'No, no, seven days.' Anyway, I liked it very mu…
  7082. 18"And after the meal either the Captain or his wife will fan me.
  7083. 19The Sons of Jung Bahadur Come with the Captain, 1875-76; the Nepali Brahmacharini Sings the Gita Govinda: "I Am the Handmaid of God"
  7084. 20"But they have great devotion, those people; great reverence for sadhus. People up-country have more devotion to sadhus. The sons of Jung Bahadur and…
  7085. 21"A girl from their country came with the Captain. A great devotee, never married. She had the songs of the Gita Govinda by heart. Dwarik Babu and the…
  7086. 22Dwarika Babu was Mathur's eldest son. He died in 1877, in Pausha 1284, at about forty years of age. The Captain first came in 1875-76. So this singing…
  7087. 23To Mahendra and the others: "You people keep coming here; is it doing you any good? If I hear that it is, my mind is very much at ease." Then, to M.:…
  7088. 24M.: Sir, when Krishna Himself became all the cowherd boys, the cows and the rest, after Brahma had stolen them away, then the mothers of the cowherd b…
  7089. 25Sri Ramakrishna: What does that show?
  7090. 26M.: It is because God Himself has become everything; that is why there is such attraction. Where God, the Real, is present, the mind is drawn.
  7091. 27The Meaning of Krishna's Lila: the Gopis' Love; the Meaning of the Stealing of the Clothes
  7092. 28Sri Ramakrishna: This is the attraction of Yogamaya; she casts a spell over everyone. Radhika, disguised as Subala with a calf in her arms, goes along…
  7093. 29"All of Hari's lila is done with the help of Yogamaya!
  7094. 30"The gopis' love was parakiya rati, the love for one who is not one's husband. The gopis were mad with love for Krishna. One does not feel so much for…
  7095. 31"If you raise the objection, 'I have never seen Him; how can I feel a pull toward Him like the gopis?' the answer is that even by hearing of Him that…
  7096. 32"'Not knowing him, I heard his name with my ears, and my mind went out and clung to him.'"
  7097. 33A devotee: Sir, what does the stealing of the clothes mean?
  7098. 34Sri Ramakrishna: The eight fetters. All the gopis' fetters were gone; only shame was left. So He removed that fetter as well. When God is attained, ev…
  7099. 35One Fallen from Yoga Attains God When His Enjoyment Is Done
  7100. 36To Mahendra Mukherji and the other devotees: "Not everyone feels the pull toward God; it comes in particular vessels. It comes when there are samskara…
  7101. 37"You have no want of money. One who has fallen from yoga is born in a fortunate man's house, and then he strives for God again."
  7102. 38Mahendra Mukherji: Why does one fall from yoga?
  7103. 39Sri Ramakrishna: Perhaps in a past life, while he was thinking of God, a craving for enjoyment suddenly arose in him. When that happens one falls from…
  7104. 40Mahendra: Then what is the way out?
  7105. 41Sri Ramakrishna: "So long as there is desire, so long as there is craving for enjoyment, there is no liberation. So one should get the eating, the wea…
  7106. 42Chapter Two
  7107. 43The Story of His Life from His Own Lips: the Master's Many Wishes
  7108. 44Earlier Days: First at Nath's Garden in Calcutta; Bathing in the Ganges
  7109. 45Sri Ramakrishna: It isn't good to keep a craving for enjoyment. That is why, whatever wish came into my mind, I would carry it out then and there.
  7110. 46"I saw the coloured sandesh of Barabazar and wanted to eat some. These people sent for it. I ate a great deal, and then I was ill.
  7111. 47"As a boy, when I used to bathe in the Ganges at Nath's garden, I saw a gold chain round a boy's waist. After this state came on me, I wanted to wear…
  7112. 48"I wanted to taste the khaichur of Dhanekhali and the sarbhaja of Khanakul-Krishnanagar too." Everyone laughed.
  7113. 49Earlier Days: Hearing Sambhu's and Rajnarayan's Chandi; the Master's Service of Sadhus
  7114. 50"I wanted to hear Sambhu's Chandi songs! After hearing them I wanted to hear Rajnarayan's Chandi too. I heard that as well.
  7115. 51"Many sadhus used to come in those days. So the wish came that there should be a separate storeroom for serving them. Sejo Babu had it done. From that…
  7116. 52"Once it came into my mind that I would wear a fine suit embroidered with gold and smoke tobacco from a silver hookah. Sejo Babu sent everything, the…
  7117. 53Rakhal and Balaram in Vrindavan; Earlier Days: Rakhal's First Bhava, 1881
  7118. 54Rakhal is in Vrindavan with Balaram. At first he wrote letters praising Vrindavan highly and describing it. He had written to M., "This is a most exce…
  7119. 55"The second time the bhava came at Balaram's house; in that bhava he lay down.
  7120. 56"Rakhal belongs to the realm of form; if he hears talk of the formless he will get up and go.
  7121. 57"I vowed an offering to Chandi for him. He had put his whole reliance on me, you see, leaving home and all! It was I who would send him back to his wi…
  7122. 58"He wrote to this gentleman from Vrindavan, 'This is a fine place, peacocks and peahens dancing.' Now the peacocks and peahens have caused a great dea…
  7123. 59"He is there with Balaram. Ah, what a nature Balaram has! For my sake he does not go to his own part of the country, to Kothar in Orissa. His brother…
  7124. 60"What a nature! Day and night he is given up to the deity alone; the gardeners are forever stringing garlands! He will stay four months in Vrindavan t…
  7125. 61Earlier Days: Weeping for Narendra; Narendra's First Visit, 1881
  7126. 62"Why do I love the young boys? Because woman and gold have not yet entered them. I see them as ever-perfect!
  7127. 63"When Narendra first came, he had a dirty chadar over him; but from his eyes and face I felt there was something within. He didn't know many songs the…
  7128. 64'O mind, let us go home to our own abode,' and 'Shall my days pass by in vain?'
  7129. 65"When he came, with the room full of people, I would still talk looking only toward him. He would say, 'Talk to these gentlemen,' and only then would…
  7130. 66"I used to weep in Jadu Mallick's garden; I was mad to see him. Here I wept, holding Bholanath's hand! Bholanath said, 'Sir, it isn't proper for you t…
  7131. 67"Bhavanath is Narendra's partner; the two are like wife and husband! So I told Bhavanath to take lodgings near Narendra. The two of them are of the fo…
  7132. 68The Hard Rule for the Sannyasi; Renunciation for the Teaching of Others; About the Ghoshpara Discipline
  7133. 69"I forbid the young boys to stay long with women or to visit them often.
  7134. 70"Haripada has got caught by a woman of the Ghoshpara sect. She treats him with a mother's affection. Haripada is just a boy; he understands nothing. T…
  7135. 71"Their present discipline is a discipline with a human being. They think of the person as Sri Krishna. They call it 'raga-Krishna'. The guru asks, 'Ha…
  7136. 72"That woman came here the other day. I saw the look in her eyes; it was not at all good. So I spoke to her in her own mood: 'Go on doing what you do w…
  7137. 73"The young boys are at the stage of sadhana. Now it must be renunciation alone. A sannyasi will not so much as look at the picture of a woman. I tell…
  7138. 74Earlier Days: The Visit to Phului-Syambazar, 1880; the Attraction of the Incarnation
  7139. 75"Well, all these boys keep coming, and all of you keep coming; what does it mean? There must certainly be something in this (that is, in me); otherwis…
  7140. 76"When I was at Hriday's house in that part of the country, at Sihore near Kamarpukur, they took me to Syambazar. I understood they were devotees of Ga…
  7141. 77"I was staying at Natavar Goswami's house, and the crowd there went on day and night. So I would slip away early in the morning and go and sit in a we…
  7142. 78"The word went round that a man had come who dies seven times and comes back to life seven times! Hriday would drag me out to the fields so that I sho…
  7143. 79"The Goswamis of the place came to pick a quarrel. They thought we had come to take a share of their dues. They saw that I had not taken so much as a…
  7144. 80"People came from distant villages and gathered there. They stayed the night. In the courtyard of the house where I was staying, a great many women we…
  7145. 81"What attraction means I understood right there at Syambazar. In Hari's lila attraction comes through the help of Yogamaya, as if a spell were cast!"
  7146. 82Chapter Three
  7147. 83Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Radhika Goswami
  7148. 84While the Master was talking with the two Mukherji brothers and the other devotees, it had grown nearly three o'clock. Sri Radhika Goswami came and bo…
  7149. 85Sri Ramakrishna: Are you of Advaita's line?
  7150. 86Goswami: Yes, sir.
  7151. 87Hearing that he was of Advaita's line, the Master saluted the Goswami with folded hands.
  7152. 88The Goswami Line and the Brahmin Are Worthy of Worship; Birth in the Line of a Great Soul
  7153. 89Sri Ramakrishna: The line of Advaita Goswami! The qualities of the source are bound to be there!
  7154. 90"A tree of the neko mango bears only neko mangoes." The devotees laughed. "It doesn't bear bad mangoes. Only, according to the soil, they come a littl…
  7155. 91Goswami, humbly: Sir, what do I know?
  7156. 92Sri Ramakrishna: You may say what you like; why should other people let you off?
  7157. 93"Let a Brahmin have a thousand faults; still, as one of the Bharadvaja gotra or the Sandilya gotra, he is worshipped by all." To M.: "Tell us that sto…
  7158. 94Seeing that M. kept silent, the Master spoke again.
  7159. 95Sri Ramakrishna: If a great soul has been born in a family, he will draw the rest along, however many their faults. When the Gandharvas took the Kaura…
  7160. 96"Besides, one must honour the garb of a holy man. The garb awakens the thought of the Real. Chaitanyadeva put the garb on a donkey and prostrated hims…
  7161. 97"Why do people bow down when they see a sankhachil? When Kamsa went to kill Her, the Divine Mother flew away as a sankhachil. So even now everyone bow…
  7162. 98Earlier Days: Kuar Singh Worships the Master at Chanak; the Master's Devotion to the Ruler, His Loyalty
  7163. 99"In the regiment at Chanak, when the sepoys saw an Englishman coming, they saluted. Kuar Singh explained it to me: 'It is the Englishman's kingdom, so…
  7164. 100Sectarianism Censured before the Goswami: Saktas and Vaishnavas
  7165. 101"The Sakta follows the Tantra, the Vaishnava the Puranas. There is no harm in the Vaishnava making his disciplines known. With the Tantrika all is sec…
  7166. 102To the Goswami: "You people are fine; how much japa you do, how much you repeat Hari's name!"
  7167. 103Goswami, humbly: Sir, what do we do at all? I am the lowest of the low.
  7168. 104Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That is humility; well, that has its place too. But there is another attitude: 'I am repeating Hari's name; what sin can I h…
  7169. 105The Goswami listened to this in amazement.
  7170. 106Earlier Days: Taking the Vaishnava Garb in Vrindavan, 1868
  7171. 107Sri Ramakrishna: "I too took the garb in Vrindavan; I wore it for fifteen days." Turning to the devotees: "I practised every attitude, each for some d…
  7172. 108Smiling: "I have done everything; I accept every path. I accept the Saktas, I accept the Vaishnavas, and I accept the Vedantists too. That is why peop…
  7173. 109"A man had a tub of dye. The wonderful thing about the tub was that whatever colour a person wanted his cloth dyed, it came out dyed in exactly that c…
  7174. 110"But one clever fellow said, 'Give me the colour you have dyed yourself in.'" The Master and everyone laughed.
  7175. 111"Why should I be one-sided? I have no such fear as 'Then people of such-and-such a view won't come.' Whether anyone comes or not, I couldn't care less…
  7176. 112Earlier Days: The Mood of the Formless at Keshab Sen's House; Visiting Gadadhar's Pathbari at Ariadaha with Vijay Goswami; Vijay's Character
  7177. 113"And when I went to Keshab Sen's house another mood came over me. They talk of nothing but the formless; so in my bhava I said, 'Mother, don't come he…
  7178. 114The Goswami sat silent, hearing all this said against sectarianism.
  7179. 115Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Vijay has become very good now.
  7180. 116"Saying 'Hari, Hari' he falls to the ground!
  7181. 117"Till four in the morning he is absorbed in kirtan, meditation and such things. Now he wears the ochre cloth. When he sees the image of a deity, down…
  7182. 118"He went with me to Gadadhar's Pathbari, and when I said, 'This is where he used to meditate,' he at once fell prostrate on that very spot!
  7183. 119"And again a full prostration before the picture of Chaitanyadeva!"
  7184. 120Goswami: Before the image of Radha-Krishna too?
  7185. 121Sri Ramakrishna: A full prostration! And he keeps the observances very strictly.
  7186. 122Goswami: He could be taken into society now.
  7187. 123Sri Ramakrishna: He doesn't much care what people say.
  7188. 124Goswami: No, but society would be blessed to have such a man.
  7189. 125Sri Ramakrishna: He thinks a great deal of me.
  7190. 126"It's hard to get hold of him. Today a call to Dacca, tomorrow a call somewhere else. He is always busy.
  7191. 127"There is a great stir in their Samaj, the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj."
  7192. 128Goswami: Why, sir?
  7193. 129Sri Ramakrishna: They tell him, 'You mix with people who believe in forms! You are an idolater.'
  7194. 130"And he is so large-hearted and so guileless. Unless one is guileless one doesn't receive the grace of God."
  7195. 131Teaching to the Mukherjis: the Householder; "Press Forward"; the Yoga of Practice
  7196. 132Now the Master talked with the Mukherjis. Mahendra, the elder, is in business and serves no one. The younger, Priyanath, was an engineer. He has now p…
  7197. 133Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Don't sit back because a little awakening has come. Press forward. Beyond the sandalwood there is more still: silver mines,…
  7198. 134Priya, smiling: Sir, there are fetters on our feet; they won't let us go forward.
  7199. 135Sri Ramakrishna: What does it matter if there are fetters on the feet? It is all a matter of the mind.
  7200. 136"It is in the mind that one is bound or free. There were two friends; one went to a house of ill fame, the other was listening to the Bhagavata. The f…
  7201. 137Priya: But my mind is not under my control.
  7202. 138Sri Ramakrishna: What! There is the yoga of practice. Practise, and you will see that the mind goes whichever way you take it.
  7203. 139"The mind is like a cloth fresh from the washerman. After that, dip it in red and it is red; dip it in blue and it is blue. Whatever colour you dye it…
  7204. 140To the Goswami: "Have you anything to say?"
  7205. 141Goswami, very humbly: No, sir. I have had your darshan, and I have been hearing everything you said.
  7206. 142Sri Ramakrishna: Do go and see the deities.
  7207. 143Goswami, very humbly: If you would sing a little in praise of Mahaprabhu—
  7208. 144Sri Ramakrishna sang to the Goswami.
  7209. 145Song: Why has my body turned fair like Gaura's!
  7210. 146Song: Gora gazes toward Vrindavan, and tears stream from his two eyes. (Of course bhava will come!) (the bhava of Sri Gauranga, the treasure of bhava)…
  7211. 147Teaching Sri Radhika Goswami the Harmony of All Religions
  7212. 148The singing over, the Master spoke.
  7213. 149Sri Ramakrishna, to the Goswami: That was for you Vaishnavas. But if someone comes who is a Sakta, or of the Ghoshpara way, what shall I say to him th…
  7214. 150"That is why every attitude is found here, so that every kind of person may come here: Vaishnavas, Saktas, Kartabhajas, Vedantists, and these days the…
  7215. 151It is by His will alone that there are many religions and many views.
  7216. 152"But He has given each one what suits his stomach. The mother doesn't give all her children fish pilau. It doesn't agree with every stomach. So for so…
  7217. 153"Whatever a person's nature, whatever his bhava, he holds to that bhava.
  7218. 154"At a barowari festival they set up many images, and people of many views go there. Radha-Krishna, Hara-Parvati, Sita-Rama: different images in differ…
  7219. 155"But those whose minds are not drawn to any deity are another matter. A harlot beating her lover with a broom: they make images like that too at a bar…
  7220. 156Everyone was laughing. The Goswami bowed down and took his leave.
  7221. 157Chapter Four
  7222. 158Joy with the Devotees; Seeing Mother Kali's Arati; Mother and Child Talk Together: "Why Do You Make Me Reason?"
  7223. 159It is five o'clock. The Master is on the round verandah to the west. Baburam, Latu, the two Mukherji brothers, M. and others have come out with him.
  7224. 160Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and the rest: "Why should I be one-sided? Those people are Vaishnavas, and bigoted; they think their own view alone is right an…
  7225. 161Now the Master began to joke and banter with the young boys.
  7226. 162Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: I don't give these boys only vegetarian fare. Once in a while I let them have a little of the water the fish has bee…
  7227. 163The Mukherjis went off from the verandah to take a little stroll in the garden.
  7228. 164Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I used to do japa... I would go into samadhi. What do you make of it?
  7229. 165M., gravely: Yes, sir, it is good!
  7230. 166Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Well said! Well said! But what will they, the Mukherjis, think?
  7231. 167M.: Why, the Captain said you are in the state of a child. When one has seen God, one comes to the state of a child.
  7232. 168Sri Ramakrishna: Then there are childhood, boyhood and youth. In boyhood one plays pranks; perhaps ribald words come out of one's mouth. And in youth…
  7233. 169"You might explain it to them, to the Mukherjis."
  7234. 170M.: Sir, I shan't need to explain. Don't they know already?
  7235. 171After a little fun with the boys, Sri Ramakrishna said to a devotee, "It is the new moon today; do go to the Mother's shrine!"
  7236. 172After dusk the sound of the arati could be heard. The Master said to Baburam, "Come along, come along! To the Kali temple!" He went with Baburam, and…
  7237. 173Crossing the courtyard, he watched the arati of Sri Sri Radhakanta for a little while. Then he went toward Mother Kali's shrine. As he went he lifted…
  7238. 174The arati ended. All who had been watching it bowed down to the ground together. Sri Ramakrishna too came out of the shrine and bowed down. Mahendra M…
  7239. 175Today is the new moon. The Master has gone into bhava. He is utterly intoxicated! Holding Baburam's hand and reeling like a drunken man, he went back…
  7240. 176The attendant had lit a lamp and left it on the round verandah to the west of the room. The Master came out to that verandah and sat for a little whil…
  7241. 177After a while the Master sat on his own seat inside the room, facing east. He was still fully in bhava.
  7242. 178The two Mukherji brothers, Baburam and the rest of the devotees were seated on the floor.
  7243. 179Origin of Language—The Philosophy of Prayer.
  7244. 180Sri Ramakrishna, in bhava, was talking with the Mother. He was saying, "Mother, it isn't at all that You act only when I speak.
  7245. 181"What is speech, after all? Nothing but a set of signs! One says, 'I'll eat'; another says, 'Go away! I won't listen.'
  7246. 182"Well, Mother! If I didn't say, 'I'll eat,' wouldn't the hunger be there just the same? That You will hear me if I speak to You, and won't hear me if…
  7247. 183"You are as You are; why then do I speak, why do I pray?
  7248. 184"Oh! As You make me do, so I do!
  7249. 185"There, it has all got muddled! Why do You make me reason!"
  7250. 186The Master was talking with God; the devotees listened in amazement.
  7251. 187The Need of Samskaras and Austerity; Teaching the Devotees; the Service of Sadhus
  7252. 188Now the Master's eyes fell on the devotees.
  7253. 189Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: To attain Him one needs samskaras. One must have done something already: austerity, whether in this birth or in a pa…
  7254. 190"When they were stripping Draupadi of her cloth, the Lord heard her weeping in her distress and appeared to her. And He said, 'If you have ever given…
  7255. 191M. was sitting on the doormat to the east of the Master's seat.
  7256. 192To M.: "You have understood that."
  7257. 193M.: Yes, sir. It is about samskaras.
  7258. 194Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me once, what did I say?
  7259. 195M.: "Draupadi had gone to bathe, and so on." Hazra came in.
  7260. 196Chapter Five
  7261. 197Hazra Mahashay
  7262. 198Hazra has been living here for two years. He first saw the Master in 1880 at Sihore, a village near Kamarpukur, the Master's birthplace. In this villa…
  7263. 199Hazra's home is in the village of Maragore, near Sihore. He has some property, land and so forth, of a sort. He has a wife and children. They manage s…
  7264. 200From his youth he has had a turn for renunciation, and goes about looking for sadhus and devotees wherever they may be. When he first came to the Kali…
  7265. 201Hazra's attitude is that of a jnani. He does not like the Master's devotional moods or his yearning for the young boys. At times he thinks of him as a…
  7266. 202He has made his seat on the verandah to the south-east of the Master's room. There he does a great deal of japa with his rosary. He speaks ill of Rakh…
  7267. 203He sets great store by outward observance. From harping on observance he has developed a kind of mania for purity. He must be about thirty-eight.
  7268. 204Hazra came into the room. The Master had again gone a little into bhava, and he was speaking.
  7269. 205Does God Hear Prayer? Weep for God and He Will Hear
  7270. 206Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: You do right in what you do, but it isn't quite fitting.
  7271. 207Speak ill of no one, not even of an insect. You yourself tell the story of the sage Lomasa. Just as you pray for devotion, pray for this too: 'May I s…
  7272. 208Hazra: Will He hear if one prays (for devotion)?
  7273. 209Sri Ramakrishna: A—hundred—times! If it is right, if it comes from the heart. Worldly people weep for a son or a wife; but where is the one who weeps…
  7274. 210Earlier Days: A Man of Kamarpukur Trembles at His Wife's Illness
  7275. 211"In that part of the country a man's wife fell ill. Thinking she would not recover, the man began to tremble and shake; he all but fainted!"
  7276. 212"Who feels like that for God!"
  7277. 213Hazra was taking the dust of the Master's feet.
  7278. 214Sri Ramakrishna, shrinking back: "What's this you're up to?"
  7279. 215Hazra: Shall I not take the dust of the feet of one with whom I live?
  7280. 216Sri Ramakrishna: Please God, and everyone will be pleased. "When He is pleased, the whole world is pleased." When the Lord ate the bit of greens from…
  7281. 217The Master was saying that one has to do some work for the teaching of others.
  7282. 218Earlier Days: The Sadhu under the Banyan Tree, His Guru's Sandals and the Salagram Worship
  7283. 219Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: Even after attaining knowledge one keeps up worship and such works to teach others.
  7284. 220"I visit the Kali temple, and I bow before these pictures in my room; so everyone does the same. And once it has become a habit, if they don't do it t…
  7285. 221"Under the banyan tree I once saw a sannyasi. On the very seat where he had placed his guru's sandals he had set a salagram too, and was worshipping i…
  7286. 222"While there is a body there is no way to give up work. While there is mud, bubbles are bound to rise.
  7287. 223"For no embodied being can renounce work entirely; but one who renounces the fruit of work is called a renouncer." Bhagavad Gita, chapter 18.
  7288. 224The Three Stages: Scripture, the Guru's Words, Sadhana; the Goal: Direct Vision
  7289. 225To Hazra: "If one has the one knowledge, one has the many as well. What will mere reading of scriptures do?
  7290. 226"In the scriptures sand and sugar are mixed together; it is very hard to pick out just the sugar. That is why one has to hear the heart of the scriptu…
  7291. 227"News came in a letter: 'Send five seers of sandesh, and send a cloth with a railway border.' Then the letter was lost. So he hunts for it everywhere…
  7292. 228To the Mukherjis, Baburam, M. and the other devotees: "Find out all about it first, and then dive. If the pot has fallen at such-and-such a spot in th…
  7293. 229"First hear the heart of the scriptures from the guru's lips, and then practise sadhana. When the sadhana is done rightly, then comes the direct visio…
  7294. 230"Only when one dives is the sadhana done rightly! What use is it to sit and simply reason over the words of the scriptures? The rascals are only talki…
  7295. 231"If you say that even when you dive there is the fear of sharks and crocodiles, the fear of lust, anger and the rest, then rub yourself with turmeric…
  7296. 232Chapter Six
  7297. 233Earlier Days: Sri Ramakrishna's Sadhana by the Paths of the Puranas, the Tantra and the Vedas
  7298. 234Sadhana in the Panchavati, under the Bel Tree and in the Chandni; Taking Sannyasa from Tota, 1866
  7299. 235Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: He has made me practise sadhana in many ways. First by the Puranas, then by the Tantra, and again by the Vedas. At f…
  7300. 236"When I repeated 'Rama, Rama,' I would perhaps be sitting with a tail fastened on, in the mood of Hanuman! A state of madness. In those days, while do…
  7301. 237"My sadhana by the Tantra was under the bel tree. At that time the tulsi plant and the drumstick plant seemed one and the same!
  7302. 238"In that state my food was the leavings of the jackals: food that had lain out all night, and who knows whether a snake or some other creature had eat…
  7303. 239"I would ride on a dog and feed it luchi from my hand, and eat some myself: 'The whole world is full of Vishnu.' Water collects in the ground, and so…
  7304. 240"Unless ignorance is destroyed, it won't do. So I would become a tiger, and having become one, I would devour ignorance!
  7305. 241"When I practised sadhana by the Vedas, I took sannyasa. Then I lived in the Chandni, and I would tell Hriday, 'I have become a sannyasi; I shall take…
  7306. 242Visions in the Days of Sadhana; the Divine Mother's Teaching on the Vedanta and the Gita
  7307. 243To the devotees: "I lay there fasting before Her, refusing to stir! I said to the Mother, 'I am a fool; You must let me know the contents of the Vedas…
  7308. 244"The Mother said, 'The essence of the Vedanta is this: Brahman is real, the world is unreal. The Satchidananda Brahman spoken of in the Vedas, the Tan…
  7309. 245"What you get by saying 'Gita' ten times over is the essence of the Gita: that is, 'tyagi, tyagi', the renouncer!
  7310. 246"When He is attained, Veda, Vedanta, Purana and Tantra lie far below." To Hazra: "Then there is no uttering Om. Why is that? Unless I come down a long…
  7311. 247"All the states the scriptures describe as coming after direct vision came to me: childlike, mad, like a ghoul, like something inert.
  7312. 248"And I had visions too, just as the scriptures describe.
  7313. 249"Sometimes I saw the whole world filled with sparks of fire!
  7314. 250"Sometimes it was as if there were a lake of quicksilver all around, shimmering and shimmering. And sometimes I saw everything like molten silver.
  7315. 251"Sometimes I saw a light, as if coloured flares were burning!
  7316. 252"So that settles it: it agrees with the scriptures.
  7317. 253Sri Ramakrishna's State: the Yoga of the Eternal and the Lila
  7318. 254"Then again She showed me that He Himself has become the jivas, the world and the twenty-four cosmic principles! Like going up to the roof and coming…
  7319. 255"Oh! The states She has kept me in! One state goes and another comes. It is like the beam of a husking machine: when one end goes down, the other come…
  7320. 256"When I am turned within, in samadhi, I see Him even then! And when my mind comes back to the outer world, I see Him then too.
  7321. 257"When I look at this side of the mirror, He is there! And when I look at the other side, He is there too."
  7322. 258The two Mukherji brothers, Baburam and the other devotees listened in amazement.
  7323. 259Chapter Seven
  7324. 260Earlier Days: Sambhu Mallick's Detachment; the Refuge of a Great Soul
  7325. 261Sri Ramakrishna, to the Mukherjis and the others: The Captain is truly in the state of a sadhaka.
  7326. 262"It isn't as though, having wealth, one must be attached to it. Sambhu Mallick used to say, 'Hridu, I have tied up my bundle and am sitting ready!' I…
  7327. 263"Then Sambhu would say, 'No, say rather: may I leave all this and go to Him.'
  7328. 264"His devotee has nothing to fear. The devotee is His own kin. He will draw them to Himself. When the Gandharvas made captives of Duryodhana and his br…
  7329. 265Devotion Given to the Brahmins and Servants of the Temple
  7330. 266It was about nine at night. The two Mukherji brothers were getting ready to return to Calcutta. The Master had got up and was pacing to and fro in the…
  7331. 267The Master came to the Vishnu temple, and the devotees came with him. He bowed down to the ground before Sri Sri Radhakanta.
  7332. 268The Master saw that the Brahmins of the temple, those who cook the food offerings, arrange the naivedya and serve the guests, and the servants as well…
  7333. 269As he came back across the courtyard he said to the devotees, "Look, some of these men go to the houses of harlots, and some scour pots!"
  7334. 270Returning to his room, the Master sat down on his seat again. Those who had been singing kirtan came and bowed down to him.
  7335. 271The Master said to them, "Just as you sweat for money, so you should sweat dancing and singing the name of Hari.
  7336. 272"I thought I would dance with you. But when I came, I found the seasoning had all gone in, down to the fenugreek." Everyone laughed. "What was left fo…
  7337. 273"Do come now and then like this and sing the name of Hari."
  7338. 274The Mukherjis and the others bowed down to the Master and took their leave. The Mukherjis' carriage drew up beside the small verandah just to the nort…
  7339. 275The Devotees' Leave-taking and the Master's Tenderness
  7340. 276The Master is standing at the north-east corner of the porch of that verandah, facing north. A devotee has brought a lamp to light the way; he will se…
  7341. 277Today is the new moon; the night is dark. To the Master's west lies the Ganges; in front of him the nahabat, the flower garden and the kuthi; to his r…
  7342. 278Falling at his feet, the devotees get into the carriage one by one. The Master says to one of them, "Won't you speak to Ishan once, about his work?"
  7343. 279Seeing so many people in the carriage, and fearing it might be hard on the horse, the Master says, "Will the carriage hold so many?"
  7344. 280The Master stands there. Looking and looking at that form so full of love for his devotees, they set off for Calcutta.
  7345. 1Section Fourteen
  7346. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar with the Devotees; Seeing the Chaitanya Lila in Calcutta
  7347. 3Chapter One
  7348. 4News of Rakhal, Narayan, Nityagopal and Chhota Gopal
  7349. 5Today is Sunday, the twenty-first of September, 1884, the sixth of Aswin, 1291. Many devotees have gathered in Sri Ramakrishna's room. Ram, Mahendra M…
  7350. 6Chunilal has only just come back from Vrindavan. He too had gone there with Rakhal and Balaram. Rakhal and Balaram have not yet returned. Nityagopal i…
  7351. 7Sri Ramakrishna: How is Rakhal?
  7352. 8Chuni: He is well now, sir.
  7353. 9Sri Ramakrishna: Won't Nityagopal come?
  7354. 10Chuni: He is still there. I saw him before I left.
  7355. 11Sri Ramakrishna: With whom are your family coming back?
  7356. 12Chuni: Balaram Babu has said he will send them with a good, suitable person. He has not given the name.
  7357. 13The Master began to talk with Mahendra Mukherji about Narayan. Narayan is a schoolboy of sixteen or seventeen. He comes to the Master now and then, an…
  7358. 14Sri Ramakrishna: He is very guileless, isn't he?
  7359. 15As he said the word "guileless" the Master seemed to be filled with joy.
  7360. 16Mahendra: Yes, sir, very guileless.
  7361. 17Sri Ramakrishna: "The other day his mother came here. I was afraid when I saw how proud and touchy she is. Then she saw all this, you people coming he…
  7362. 18"In front of them, I think, I said to Baburam, 'Put aside these sandesh for Narayan and for yourself.' Then Gani's mother and the others all said, 'Oh…
  7363. 19"He doesn't study properly; so she said, 'Please tell him to study well.' I said to him, 'Study, my boy.' Then she said again, 'Tell him a little more…
  7364. 20To Chuni: "Well now, why doesn't Gopal come?"
  7365. 21Chuni: He has blood dysentery.
  7366. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Is he taking medicine?
  7367. 23The Theatre and Prostitutes on the Stage; Days Gone By; Seeing the Balloon, and the Awakening of the Thought of Sri Krishna
  7368. 24Today the Master is going to the Star Theatre in Calcutta to see the Chaitanya Lila. Where the Star Theatre's plays were performed then, the Kohinoor…
  7369. 25The Master is smiling. Someone said that prostitutes act in the plays; they take the parts of Chaitanyadeva, Nitai and the rest.
  7370. 26Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: I shall see them as the Blissful Mother Herself.
  7371. 27"They have dressed up as Chaitanyadeva; what of it? A custard apple made of sola pith brings to mind the real custard apple.
  7372. 28"A devotee was walking along a road when he saw a few babla trees. At the sight he was at once overwhelmed with ecstasy. The thought had come to him t…
  7373. 29"Chaitanyadeva was passing through Mergaon! He heard that the khol drums are made from the earth of that village! The moment he heard it he was overwh…
  7374. 30"When Srimati saw a cloud, or the throat of a peacock, she could no longer contain herself. The thought of Sri Krishna would be kindled in her, and sh…
  7375. 31The Master sits quietly for a little while. After a time he speaks again: "Srimati's mahabhava. In the gopis' love there is no desire. The true devote…
  7376. 32Chapter Two
  7377. 33Nangta Baba's Teaching: The Eight Occult Powers, an Obstacle to the Realization of God
  7378. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Having occult powers is a great nuisance. Nangta taught me this: A man with occult powers sat by the sea, and a storm blew up. The st…
  7379. 35"A certain sadhu had acquired great occult powers, and with them pride as well. But he was a good man, and he had done austerities too. One day God ca…
  7380. 36"Subtle are the ways of dharma. If there is the least desire, God cannot be attained. Thread will not go through a needle's eye if the least bit of fi…
  7381. 37"Krishna said to Arjuna, 'Brother, if you want to attain Me, it will not do to keep the eight siddhis.'
  7382. 38"Do you know why? With occult powers comes pride, and one forgets God.
  7383. 39"A babu came here once, a squint-eyed man. He said, 'You are a paramahamsa; very well, then, you must perform a little ceremony for my welfare.' What…
  7384. 40Love to All: Love Takes Away Pride, and Then God Is Realized
  7385. 41"That is why I say to Hazra, 'Don't harbour the notion that you alone understand and all the rest are fools.' One must love everyone. No one is a stra…
  7386. 42"What this means is that it was Hari Himself who, in one form, gave him pain. To give pain to those people would be to give pain to Hari."
  7387. 43Chapter Three
  7388. 44Sri Ramakrishna's Divine Madness of Knowledge, and Caste
  7389. 45Days Gone By, 1857: A Madman of Knowledge Seen after the Dedication of the Kali Temple; Haladhari
  7390. 46Sri Ramakrishna: Srimati's was the madness of love. Then there is the madness of devotion, like Hanuman's. When he saw that Sita had entered the fire,…
  7391. 47"Going up to a dog, he took hold of its ear and ate what it had left, and the dog said nothing. My own state of that kind had begun by then. I threw m…
  7392. 48"Mine was a state of madness! Narayan Shastri came and found me going around carrying a bamboo on my shoulder. Then he said to people, 'Oh, he is mad.…
  7393. 49"At the Kalibari, when the beggars had eaten and gone, I touched their leaf plates to my head and to my mouth. Haladhari said to me then, 'What are yo…
  7394. 50To M.: "You see, mere study does not accomplish anything. People can recite the syllables of a drum beat by heart very well, but to get them into the…
  7395. 51The Master again describes his own state of the madness of knowledge.
  7396. 52Days Gone By: To Navadvip with Mathur; the Master Falls at the Feet of Chine the Conch-Shell Worker
  7397. 53"I went out with Sejo Babu on his houseboat for a few days for a change of air. On that trip we went to Navadvip too. On the boat I saw the boatmen co…
  7398. 54"But now I can't do it any more. That state is gone now. Now the cook must be a brahmin, and one who keeps the rules, and the food must be offered to…
  7399. 55"What states have all passed! In my native village I said to Chine the conch-shell worker and to other boys of my age, 'O, I fall at your feet: say "H…
  7400. 56What Is Sri Ramakrishna's Teaching, the World or the Renunciation of All? Keshab Sen's Misgiving
  7401. 57A devotee: This madness of devotion, or madness of love, or madness of knowledge: if it comes to a man of the world, how will he get on?
  7402. 58Sri Ramakrishna, looking at the worldly devotee: There are two kinds of yogis: the yogi who is known and the hidden yogi. In the world one is a hidden…
  7403. 59Ram: That is your way of coaxing a child. In the world a man may become a jnani, but he cannot become a vijnani.
  7404. 60Sri Ramakrishna: If he becomes a vijnani in the end, let him. It is not good to renounce the world by force.
  7405. 61Ram: Keshab Sen used to say, "What makes people flock to him so? Some day he will give them a nip, and then they will have to flee."
  7406. 62Sri Ramakrishna: "Why should I give anyone a nip? I tell people, do this and do that too: live in the world, and call on God too. I don't ask them to…
  7407. 63Sri Ramakrishna came out of the room and was going towards the tamarisk trees, talking with M. A devotee was walking along with them carrying a water…
  7408. 64Sri Ramakrishna, to M., near the Panchavati: Ram talks all in the spirit of rajas. What need is there to pay so much for a seat?
  7409. 65The Master is saying there is no need to take tickets for a box.
  7410. 66Chapter Four
  7411. 67At Hatibagan in a Devotee's House: Sri Mahendra Mukherji's Service
  7412. 68Sri Ramakrishna is coming from Dakshineswar to Calcutta in Sri Mahendra Mukherji's carriage. It is Sunday, the sixth of Aswin, the twenty-first of Sep…
  7413. 69After a long while the samadhi broke. The Master says, "Hazra tries to teach me! The rascal!" A little later he says, "I shall drink some water." The…
  7414. 70Mahendra Mukherji, to M.: In that case, shouldn't we get him something to eat?
  7415. 71M.: He won't eat now.
  7416. 72Sri Ramakrishna, still in ecstasy: I shall eat; I must answer the call of nature.
  7417. 73Mahendra Mukherji has a flour mill at Hatibagan, and he is taking the Master there. After a short rest there they will go on to the Star Theatre to se…
  7418. 74At Mahendra's mill a carpet is spread over a wooden cot. On it the Master is sitting and talking about God.
  7419. 75Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and Mahendra: While listening to the Chaitanya Charitamrita, Hazra says, "All this is the play of Sakti; the all-pervading Vibh…
  7420. 76Brahman in All Beings in the Form of Vibhu, the All-pervading; the Pure Devotee Does Not Want the Six Divine Powers
  7421. 77"I know that Brahman and Sakti are not different. It is like water and its power to freeze, or fire and its power to burn. He is present in all beings…
  7422. 78M.: "The six powers must be at his command." Everyone laughed.
  7423. 79Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes, they must be at his command! What a petty mind! A man who has never enjoyed riches grows restless crying "riches, riche…
  7424. 80There was no prepared betel leaf at the mill. The Master said, "Have some betel leaf brought." The Master was going to answer the call of nature. Mahe…
  7425. 81Chapter Five
  7426. 82The Chaitanya Lila at the Theatre: Sri Ramakrishna in Samadhi
  7427. 83M., Baburam, a Devotee of Nityananda's Line, Mahendra Mukherji, Girish
  7428. 84The Master's carriage arrived before the Star Theatre in Beadon Street. It was about half past eight at night. With him were M., Baburam, Mahendra Muk…
  7429. 85The theatre is ablaze with lights. Below there is a large crowd. To the Master's left the drop scene can be seen. Many of the boxes are filled. A bear…
  7430. 86The Master is as delighted as a child at the sight of the theatre.
  7431. 87Sri Ramakrishna, to M., smiling: Ah, this is fine! It was good to come! When many people are gathered together the Divine is kindled in me. Then I see…
  7432. 88M.: Yes, sir.
  7433. 89Sri Ramakrishna: How much will they charge here?
  7434. 90M.: They won't take anything, sir. Your coming has made them very glad.
  7435. 91Sri Ramakrishna: It is all the Mother's glory!
  7436. 92The drop scene went up. The eyes of the whole audience fell at once upon the stage. First, the assembly of Sin and the six passions. Then, on a forest…
  7437. 93Devotion says that Gauranga has been born in Nadia, and that is why the Vidyadharis and the munis and rishis are coming in disguise to see him.
  7438. 94Blessed is the earth: Gora has come to Nadia! Look, look in their chariots of the sky: the Vidyadharis are coming to behold Hari. Look, rapt in the bl…
  7439. 95The Vidyadharis and the munis and rishis are hymning Gauranga, knowing him to be an Incarnation of God. Sri Ramakrishna is overwhelmed with ecstasy at…
  7440. 96The Vidyadharis and the munis and rishis sing a hymn of praise:
  7441. 97Men: O Kesava, have mercy on the lowly, Thou who roamest the groves and bowers! Women: O Madhava, enchanter of the heart, O charmer who bearest the fl…
  7442. 98When the Vidyadharis sang: "Eyes aslant, the peacock plume aslant, joy of Radhika's heart," Sri Ramakrishna went into deep samadhi. The orchestra was…
  7443. 99Chapter Six
  7444. 100Seeing the Chaitanya Lila: Sri Ramakrishna Drunk with Love for Gaura
  7445. 101A guest has come to the house of Jagannath Misra. The boy Nimai is going about with his playmates, joyfully singing:
  7446. 102Where is my Vrindavan, where is Mother Yasoda? Where is my father Nanda, where is my brother Balai? Where are my Dhavali and Syamali, where is my ench…
  7447. 103The guest closes his eyes and offers food to God. Nimai runs up and eats the food. The guest comes to know him as God, and hymns the ten Incarnations…
  7448. 104Victory to Nityananda and Gaurachandra! Victory to Him who carries us across the world! Refuge of the helpless, life of all beings, dispeller of the f…
  7449. 105Hearing the hymn, the Master is again overwhelmed with ecstasy.
  7450. 106The bank of the Ganges at Navadvip. After bathing in the Ganges, the brahmins, men and women, sit on the ghat and worship. Nimai snatches away the off…
  7451. 107One of them knew the great mantra that would bring Nimai back. She began to say, "Hari bol, Hari bol." At once Nimai came back, saying "Hari bol, Hari…
  7452. 108Mani is sitting near the Master. He says, "Ah!"
  7453. 109The Master could no longer contain himself. Saying "Ah!", he looked towards Mani and shed tears of love.
  7454. 110Sri Ramakrishna, to Baburam and M.: Look, if I go into ecstasy or samadhi, don't make a fuss. Worldly people will think it is play-acting.
  7455. 111Nimai's investiture with the sacred thread. Nimai has dressed as a sannyasi. Sachi and the neighbour women are standing on every side. Nimai begs for…
  7456. 112Give alms, O give me alms! I am a new yogi, wandering and weeping. O dwellers in Vraja, I love you, that is why I come; see, mother, I am fasting. See…
  7457. 113Everyone has gone away. Nimai is alone. The gods, in the guise of brahmins and their wives, are hymning him.
  7458. 114Men: Thou whose limbs are as the moon's rays, salutation to Thee who took the form of the Dwarf! Women: Enchanter of the gopis' hearts, who roamest th…
  7459. 115Hearing this song, Sri Ramakrishna went into samadhi. The curtain fell. The orchestra was playing.
  7460. 116"Worldly People Tell You to Keep to Both Sides": Gangadas and Srivas
  7461. 117Srivas and the others are talking in front of Advaita's house. Mukunda sings in a sweet voice:
  7462. 118Sleep no more, O mind. How long will you lie senseless in the dark spell of maya! Who are you, and why have you come? You have forgotten your own self…
  7463. 119Mukunda has a very sweet voice. Sri Ramakrishna is praising him to Mani.
  7464. 120Nimai is at home. Srivas has come to see him, and meets Sachi first. Sachi begins to weep. She says, "My son does not give his mind to the duties of t…
  7465. 121"Ever since Viswarup went away, my heart trembles without ceasing, lest Nimai become a sannyasi."
  7466. 122Just then Nimai is coming. Sachi says to Srivas:
  7467. 123"Ah, look, look, he is like one gone mad; his breast is drowned in tears. Tell me, tell me, how will this mood leave him?"
  7468. 124Seeing Srivas, Nimai clasps his feet and weeps, and says:
  7469. 125Where, master, where is my love for Krishna? This worthless life has slipped away in vain. Tell me, master: where is Krishna? Where am I to find Him?…
  7470. 126Sri Ramakrishna is about to say something to M., looking at him, but he cannot. His voice is choked! Tears stream down his cheeks. With unwinking eyes…
  7471. 127Meanwhile Nimai can no longer teach his pupils. Nimai had studied under Gangadas, and Gangadas has come to reason with him. He says to Srivas, "Srivas…
  7472. 128Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: That is the teaching of a worldly man: do this, and do that too. When a worldly man gives instruction he tells you to keep to…
  7473. 129M.: Yes, sir.
  7474. 130Gangadas again reasons with Nimai:
  7475. 131"Now, Nimai, you have learnt the scriptures, haven't you? Argue it out with me. What dharma is higher than the dharma of the householder? Explain it t…
  7476. 132Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Do you see? He is telling him to keep to both sides!
  7477. 133M.: Yes, sir.
  7478. 134Nimai said, "I have not neglected the householder's dharma of my own will; rather, my wish is that everything be kept up. But:
  7479. 135Master, I know nothing of the reason why; my heart is pulled; what can I do, what can I do? I think I will stay on the shore, but on the shore I can s…
  7480. 136Sri Ramakrishna: Ah!
  7481. 137Chapter Seven
  7482. 138Nityananda's Line at the Theatre, and the Divine Kindled in Sri Ramakrishna
  7483. 139M., Baburam, a Goswami of Nityananda's Line from Khardah
  7484. 140Nityananda has come to Navadvip, and he is looking for Nimai when the two meet. Nimai too has been looking for him. After their meeting Nimai says:
  7485. 141My life is fulfilled; my dream has come true; You showed Yourself in a dream and then hid Yourself.
  7486. 142Sri Ramakrishna, to M., in a voice choked with feeling: Nimai is saying, "I saw Him in a dream!" Srivas is seeing the six-armed form and singing His p…
  7487. 143Sri Ramakrishna, in ecstasy, is beholding the six-armed form.
  7488. 144Gauranga is possessed by the divine mood. He is talking in ecstasy with Advaita, Srivas, Haridas and the others.
  7489. 145Understanding Gauranga's mood, Nitai sings:
  7490. 146Has Krishna come to the bower, O friend of my heart? Give me Krishna, give, bring Krishna to me; what does Radha know but Krishna?
  7491. 147As he listened to the song Sri Ramakrishna passed into samadhi, and for a long while he stayed so. The orchestra went on playing. The Master's samadhi…
  7492. 148When the Goswami has gone, the Master says to M., "He is a great scholar, and his father is a great devotee. When I go to Khardah to see Syamasundar,…
  7493. 149"His signs are very good; with a little stirring, his spirit would wake. As I looked at him the Divine was strongly kindled in me. A little more, and…
  7494. 150He is saying that, as he looked at the Goswami, a little more and he would have gone into ecstatic samadhi.
  7495. 151The curtain rose. On the open road Nityananda is holding his head and stanching the flow of blood. Madhai has hurled the rim of a broken pitcher at hi…
  7496. 152Come, say "Hari" with all your heart; come dancing, Jagai and Madhai. You struck me, and well you did; now say "Hari" and dance, brothers. Cry "Hari b…
  7497. 153Now Nimai tells Sachi that he will take sannyas.
  7498. 154Sachi falls in a faint. At the sight of her swoon many in the audience are crying out in grief. Sri Ramakrishna, not moved in the least, watches with…
  7499. 155Chapter Eight
  7500. 156Sri Ramakrishna Drunk with Love for Gauranga
  7501. 157The play was over. The Master was getting into the carriage. A devotee asked, "How did you like it?" The Master said with a smile, "I saw that the rea…
  7502. 158The carriage is going to Mahendra Mukherji's mill. Suddenly the Master goes into ecstasy. After a while he says to himself, overflowing with love:
  7503. 159"Ah, Krishna! O Krishna! Krishna my knowledge! Krishna my life! Krishna my mind! Krishna my soul! Krishna my body!" Again he says, "O Govinda, my very…
  7504. 160The carriage reached Mukherji's mill. With great care Mahendra fed the Master. Mani was sitting near. The Master said to him lovingly, "Do eat somethi…
  7505. 161Now Sri Ramakrishna is setting out for the Kalibari at Dakshineswar. In the carriage are Mahendra Mukherji and two or three other devotees. Mahendra w…
  7506. 162Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers.
  7507. 163Mani sings along with him.
  7508. 164Mahendra is going on a pilgrimage. He is talking with the Master about it.
  7509. 165Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahendra, smiling: Before the shoot of love can come up, it will all wither away.
  7510. 166"But come back soon. Ah, I had long been meaning to go to your house; well, we have met this once, and that is good."
  7511. 167Mahendra: Yes, sir, my life is blessed!
  7512. 168Sri Ramakrishna: You are blessed already. Your father too is very good! When I saw him the other day I found faith in the spirit in him.
  7513. 169Mahendra: Sir, please keep your grace on me, that I may have devotion.
  7514. 170Sri Ramakrishna: You are very large-hearted and guileless. Without a large heart and guilelessness God cannot be attained. And you are far removed fro…
  7515. 171Mahendra took his leave near Syambazar. The carriage drove on.
  7516. 172Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What did Jadu Mallick do?
  7517. 173M., to himself: The Master is thinking of the good of all. Has he too, like Chaitanyadeva, taken a body to teach devotion?
  7518. 1Section Fifteen
  7519. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj; Teaching to Vijay Goswami
  7520. 3Chapter One
  7521. 4Sri Ramakrishna in the Temple of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
  7522. 5M., Hazra, Vijay, Sivanath, Kedar
  7523. 6Today Sri Ramakrishna has come to the city of Calcutta. It is the day of the Saptami worship, Friday, the twenty-sixth of September, 1884. The Master…
  7524. 7From about midday M. has been walking up and down on the pavement in front of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, an umbrella in his hand. One o'clock strikes,…
  7525. 8Three o'clock struck. A little later the Master's carriage drew up. As soon as he had stepped down and caught sight of the Samaj temple, the Master sa…
  7526. 9The Master, full of joy and with a smiling face, took his seat. A seat had been made for him below the altar, at the place where the kirtan is sung. V…
  7527. 10The Sadharan Brahmo Samaj and the "Signboard"; With Form and Without Form: The Harmony
  7528. 11Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay, smiling: I hear you have a signboard here. People of other views are not allowed in, so they say! Narendra told me, "No nee…
  7529. 12"What I say is that all are calling on Him. There is no need for ill will among them. One says God has form, another says He is formless. I say, let t…
  7530. 13The matuya's attitude means dogmatism.
  7531. 14"Hindus, Mussalmans, Christians, Saktas, Saivas, Vaishnavas; the knowers of Brahman of the rishis' age and you, the knowers of Brahman of these days:…
  7532. 15"Do you know my way? I love to eat fish cooked in every way. Mine is a woman's nature!" Everyone laughed. "I am for fried fish, fish with turmeric, fi…
  7533. 16"Do you know what it is? God has made the different religions to suit different countries, times and persons. But every view is only a path; a view is…
  7534. 17"But we have no business saying that another's view has gone wrong. He whose world it is, He is thinking about it. Our duty is to see Jagannath by any…
  7535. 18"But the matuya's attitude is not good. You know the story of the bahurupi. A man who had gone out to answer a call of nature spotted a bahurupi up in…
  7536. 19"In the Vedas He is spoken of as both with attributes and without. You call Him formless. That is one-sided. Never mind. If you know one aspect truly,…
  7537. 20Chapter Two
  7538. 21Teaching to Vijay Goswami
  7539. 22At that time Vijay was still of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, one of its salaried acharyas. Lately he had not been able to keep all the rules of the Sama…
  7540. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay, smiling: I hear they speak very ill of you because you mix with those who worship God with form? A devotee of the Lord must…
  7541. 24"One has to be on one's guard with these few! First, a rich man. He has money and many people at his command; if he takes it into his head he can harm…
  7542. 25"When I see a wicked man I become cautious. If someone comes up and says, 'Hey, got a hookah or anything?' I say, 'Yes, I have.'
  7543. 26"There are those whose nature is a snake's. Without your knowing it, they will strike at you. To withstand the bite you need a great deal of discrimin…
  7544. 27Vijay: I have no leisure. I am tied up with my work here.
  7545. 28Sri Ramakrishna: "You are acharyas. Others get holidays, but an acharya gets none. When the steward has brought one part of the estate to order, the l…
  7546. 29Vijay, with folded hands: Please give me your blessing.
  7547. 30Sri Ramakrishna: That is the talk of ignorance. It is God who will bless you.
  7548. 31Teaching to a Householder Brahmajnani: The Householder's Life and Sannyas
  7549. 32Vijay: Sir, please give us some teaching.
  7550. 33Sri Ramakrishna, looking round the Samaj hall, smiling: "This is rather good! Sare-mate: there is sar here, and mat too." Everyone laughed. "I have ov…
  7551. 34"Keshab Sen gave a lecture in his house. I heard it. Many people were seated there, and the women were behind the screen. Keshab said, 'O God, bless u…
  7552. 35"Never mind. If one is sincere, one can realize God even in the world. 'I' and 'mine': that is ignorance. 'O God, You and Yours': this is knowledge.
  7553. 36"Live in the world like the maidservant in a rich man's house. She does all the work and brings up the children; she speaks of her master's son as 'my…
  7554. 37"I tell people to renounce in the mind. I do not tell them to renounce the world. Living in the world unattached, and longing for Him from the heart,…
  7555. 38The Brahmo Samaj and the Yoga of Meditation: Yoga Subjective and Objective
  7556. 39To Vijay: "I too used to meditate with my eyes shut. Then I thought: if I do this (shutting the eyes) God is there, and if I do this (opening the eyes…
  7557. 40Sivanath; Sri Kedar Chatterji
  7558. 41"Why do I want to see Sivanath? A man who has thought of God for a long time has substance in him. He has God's power within him. Again, one who sings…
  7559. 42"Whatever being has glory, splendour or might, know that it springs from a spark of My radiance."
  7560. 43Vijay: There they talk only of you, and he longs to come to you!
  7561. 44Kedarnath Chatterji was a great devotee. He was then at Dacca on government service. When Sri Vijaykrishna Goswami went to Dacca from time to time, th…
  7562. 45After a while the Master rose. The Brahmo devotees saluted him, and he saluted them in return. The Master got into the carriage. He was on his way to…
  7563. 1Section Sixteen
  7564. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Ram's House
  7565. 3Chapter One
  7566. 4Sri Ramakrishna at Ram's House on the Day of the Mahashtami
  7567. 5Today is Sunday, the Mahashtami, the twenty-eighth of September, 1884. Sri Ramakrishna has come to Calcutta to see the image. The autumn Durga festiva…
  7568. 6Sri Ramakrishna, looking at Vijay and Kedar, smiling: "It is a happy meeting today. The two of you are of one mood." To Vijay: "Well, and Sivanath? Yo…
  7569. 7Vijay: Yes, sir, he has heard. I did not see him myself, but I sent him word, and he has heard.
  7570. 8The Master had gone to Sivanath's house to see him, but they had not met. Afterwards Vijay had sent him word; but Sivanath, in the press of his work,…
  7571. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay and the others: Four wishes have come up in my mind.
  7572. 10"I shall eat fish curry cooked with brinjal. I shall meet Sivanath. I shall watch the devotees bring rosaries of the name of Hari and tell their beads…
  7573. 11Narendra was sitting in front of him; he was then twenty-two or twenty-three. As the Master spoke, his eyes fell on Narendra. He rose to his feet and…
  7574. 12God Impersonal and Personal: Satchidananda and the Mother Whose Bliss Is Karana; the Rajarshi and the Brahmarshi; Isvarakotis and Jivakotis; the Class…
  7575. 13After a long while the samadhi broke. The intoxication of bliss had still not worn off. The Master was talking to himself; in bhava he was repeating t…
  7576. 14"The gross, the subtle, the causal, the Great Cause! Go into the Great Cause and you fall silent. There speech does not reach!
  7577. 15"An Isvarakoti can go into the Great Cause and come back again. The Incarnations and the like are Isvarakotis. They go up, and they can come down agai…
  7578. 16"There is a kind of tubri firework that throws out one pattern of flowers, then after a while another kind of flower, then another again. There is no…
  7579. 17"And there is another kind of tubri that, a moment after it is lit, goes up with a whoosh and breaks apart! If such a one goes up by spiritual practic…
  7580. 18"And there is a class of the ever-perfect. They long for God from birth; nothing in the world appeals to them. The Vedas tell of the homa bird. This b…
  7581. 19"Those who come with the Incarnation are the ever-perfect, or for some it is the last birth.
  7582. 20To Vijay: "You people have both, yoga and bhoga. King Janaka had yoga, and he had bhoga too. So Janaka was a rajarshi, a king and a rishi, both at onc…
  7583. 21"Sukadeva was a brahmarshi. Sukadeva was not a jnani; he was knowledge itself in solid form. Whom do we call a jnani? One in whom knowledge has come a…
  7584. 22As he spoke these words, Sri Ramakrishna came back to his normal state. Now he would be able to talk with the devotees.
  7585. 23He asked Kedar to sing. Kedar sang:
  7586. 241. Shall I speak what is in my heart, friend? I am forbidden to speak. Without one who understands, my life cannot go on. The one who is the beloved o…
  7587. 252. The wave of Gaur's love has struck me. Its surge sweeps away the scoffers, and this whole universe sinks beneath it. I think to dive down and stay…
  7588. 263. He who does not know the landing-place of love...
  7589. 27After the songs the Master again talked with the devotees. Sri Keshab Sen's nephew Nandalal was present. He too was sitting near the Master, with one…
  7590. 28Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay and the other devotees: Someone brought a bottle of karana; I went to touch it, and I could not.
  7591. 29Vijay: Ah!
  7592. 30Sri Ramakrishna: When the bliss is natural, one is drunk without anything else! One does not have to drink wine. When I see the Mother's charanamrita…
  7593. 31The States of the Jnani and the Bhakta; the Rule of Food for the Jnani and the Bhakta
  7594. 32"In this state one cannot eat everything at all times."
  7595. 33Narendra: In the matter of food and drink it is best to take whatever comes of itself.
  7596. 34Sri Ramakrishna: That comes in a particular state. For the jnani there is no harm in anything. According to the Gita the jnani does not himself eat; h…
  7597. 35"For the bhakta it is not so. My state now is this: unless the food has been offered by a brahmin I cannot eat it! Once my state was such that when th…
  7598. 36"I cannot, it is true; and yet now and then I can. They took me to Keshab Sen's place, to the theatre (the Nava Vrindavan). They brought luchi and chh…
  7599. 37To Narendra: "It will be so for you now. You are in this, and you are in that too! You will be able to eat everything now."
  7600. 38To the devotees: "If a man eats pork and still has a yearning for God, blessed is he! And if a man lives on havishya and his mind is on woman and gold…
  7601. 39Former Days: Knowledge of Brahman and the Giving Up of Caste in the First Divine Madness; the Journey to Kamarpukur; Dhani the Blacksmith Woman; Ramla…
  7602. 40"I wanted to eat dal at the blacksmiths' house; ever since I was a boy the blacksmiths had been saying, What do brahmins know about cooking? So I ate…
  7603. 41The Master had gone to the house of Dhani, the blacksmith woman who was his bhiksha-mother.
  7604. 42"I took the mantra of Allah from Govinda Roy. At the kuthi rice was cooked with onions, and I ate a little of it. In Mani Mallick's garden (at Baranag…
  7605. 43"I went home to the village; Ramlal's father took fright. He thought I would eat at anybody's house. He was afraid they might be put out of caste. So…
  7606. 44Pure Conduct by the Vedas, the Puranas and the Tantra
  7607. 45"The Vedas and Puranas speak of pure conduct. What the Vedas and Puranas have said, 'Do not do this, it will be impure conduct,' the Tantra in its tur…
  7608. 46"What a state that was! I would open my mouth wide, as if to span heaven and the nether world, and cry 'Mother!' It was as if I were seizing the Mothe…
  7609. 47This time, Kali, I shall eat You up! (I shall eat You, I shall eat You, O Merciful to the lowly!) I say I shall eat You, Mother, but I will not swallo…
  7610. 48"I was in a state like madness. Such was the longing!"
  7611. 49Narendra began to sing:
  7612. 50Make me mad, Mother; I have no more use for knowledge and reasoning.
  7613. 51Hearing the song, the Master was once more in samadhi.
  7614. 52When the samadhi had broken, the Master took on the mood of the Queen of the Mountain and sang an agamani song. The Queen of the Mountain says: O peop…
  7615. 53When the song was over the Master told the devotees, "It is the Mahashtami today, you see; the Mother has come! That is why such feelings are being ki…
  7616. 54Kedar: Lord, it is You who have come! Is the Mother other than You?
  7617. 55The Master, turning his eyes elsewhere, absently began a song:
  7618. 56Where have I found Him, friend, for whom I have gone mad? Brahma is mad, Vishnu is mad, and Siva is mad. The three madmen put their heads together and…
  7619. 57Again, drunk with bhava, the Master sang:
  7620. 58At what moment, in what play, do You dwell, Mother Syama, river of nectar!
  7621. 59The Master was singing. Suddenly Vijay rose to his feet, crying, "Haribol! Haribol!" Sri Ramakrishna too, mad with bhava, began to dance in the compan…
  7622. 60Chapter Two
  7623. 61Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees
  7624. 62When the kirtan ended, Sri Ramakrishna, Vijay, Narendra and the other devotees took their seats. Everyone was looking at the Master. There was still a…
  7625. 63Kedar, humbly, to Sri Ramakrishna: How will this giddiness of mine be cured?
  7626. 64Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: Oh, that happens; I had it too! Put on a little almond oil. I have heard it cures it.
  7627. 65Kedar: As you say, sir.
  7628. 66Sri Ramakrishna, to Chuni: Well, how are you all keeping?
  7629. 67Chuni: All is well now, sir. Balaram Babu, Rakhal and the others in Vrindavan are all well.
  7630. 68Sri Ramakrishna: Why did you send so many sweets?
  7631. 69Chuni: I have come back from Vrindavan, sir...
  7632. 70Chunilal had gone to holy Vrindavan with Balaram and stayed there some months. His leave being over, he had lately come back to Calcutta.
  7633. 71Sri Ramakrishna, to Harish: Go in a day or two. You have been ill; you will fall ill there again.
  7634. 72To Narayan, tenderly: "Sit, come and sit by me! Go tomorrow: you can eat there when you go." Pointing to M.: "Will you go with him?" Then to M.: "How…
  7635. 73M. wished to go with the Master that very day, and so was thinking it over. Surendra had been there a long time; in between he had gone home once. Com…
  7636. 74Surendra drank karana. At one time he had drunk to great excess. Seeing the state Surendra was in, the Master had been anxious. He had not told him to…
  7637. 75Surendra was standing near by. The Master looked at him and suddenly said: Have you been drinking karana? And with those words he was lost in bhava.
  7638. 76Dusk fell. Regaining a little outer consciousness, the Master, taking the Mother's name, joyfully began a song:
  7639. 77Ever lost in bliss in the company of Siva, drunk with nectar, She sways and sways, yet She does not fall (Mother). Eager in the reversed embrace, She…
  7640. 78Dusk had come. Sri Ramakrishna was chanting the name of Hari! Now and then he clapped his hands. In a sweet voice he was saying: Haribol, Haribol, Har…
  7641. 79Again he chanted the name of Rama: Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama! Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama!
  7642. 80The Master's Prayer: How to Pray
  7643. 81Now the Master prayed: "O Rama! O Rama! I have no worship, no spiritual practice, no knowledge, no devotion: I am without any rite! Rama, I take refug…
  7644. 82As the Master prayed, all were gazing at him with unmoving eyes. Hearing his voice, steeped in tenderness, many could not hold back their tears. Ram h…
  7645. 83Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram: Ram! Where were you?
  7646. 84Ram: Upstairs, sir.
  7647. 85Ram had been upstairs making arrangements to serve the Master and the devotees.
  7648. 86Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram, smiling: Isn't it better to stay below than above? Water collects on low ground; from high ground it runs off.
  7649. 87Ram, laughing: Yes, sir.
  7650. 88Leaves had been laid on the roof for the meal. Ramchandra took the Master and the devotees up and fed them to their hearts' content. When the festivit…
  7651. 1Section Seventeen
  7652. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Dakshineswar on the Day of the Navami Puja
  7653. 3Chapter One
  7654. 4Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar with Narendra, Bhavanath and Others
  7655. 5Today is the Navami Puja, Monday, the twenty-ninth of September, 1884. The night has only now given way to dawn. The morning arati of Mother Kali is o…
  7656. 6Just like a little boy! There is no cloth about his waist. Repeating the Mother's name, he is dancing all about the room.
  7657. 7After a while he says again, "Sahajananda, Sahajananda." At last he repeats the name of Govinda again and again:
  7658. 8O Govinda, my soul, my very life!
  7659. 9The devotees have got up and are sitting. With unmoving eyes they watch the Master's ecstasy. Hazra too is staying at the Kali temple; his seat is on…
  7660. 10The devotees had slept on the small verandah on the north side of the Master's room. It was the cold season, so the bamboo screens had been let down.…
  7661. 11The Jivakoti, Whose Nature Is to Doubt: the Sceptic; the Self-Evident Faith of the Isvarakoti
  7662. 12Sri Ramakrishna, to Bhavanath: Do you know what it is? Those who are jivakotis do not come to faith easily. The faith of an Isvarakoti is self-evident…
  7663. 13"Hazra will not believe, in any way at all, that Brahman and Sakti, Sakti and the possessor of Sakti, are not different. When He is not acting, we spe…
  7664. 14"So I prayed, 'Mother, Hazra is trying to overturn the view held here. Either make him understand, or move him away from here.' The next day he came a…
  7665. 15Bhavanath, smiling: Did that talk of Hazra's trouble you so much?
  7666. 16Sri Ramakrishna: My state has changed. Now I can't shout and wrangle with people. I am no longer in a state to argue and quarrel with Hazra. In Jadu M…
  7667. 17At that time Hriday was not permitted to come into the temple garden: those in charge were displeased with him. Hriday wished the Master to speak on h…
  7668. 18Earlier Days: Sri Ramakrishna at Kamarpukur; the World Full of Consciousness; a Child's Faith
  7669. 19"What is knowledge, and what is ignorance? So long as one feels that God is far away, that is ignorance; when one feels that He is here, right here, t…
  7670. 20"When true knowledge comes, everything is felt to be full of Consciousness. I used to talk with Sibu. Sibu was very little then, four or five years ol…
  7671. 21"Another day I heard from Ramlal that the autumn dew is good. There is some verse about it, Ramlal said. On my way back from Calcutta in a carriage, I…
  7672. 22Sri Ramakrishna and Medicine
  7673. 23Now the Master came into the room and sat down. Both his feet had become a little puffy. He told the devotees to feel them with their hands and see wh…
  7674. 24Sri Ramakrishna, to Bhavanath: Call Mahindar of Sinthi for me. If he says so, my mind will be at ease.
  7675. 25Bhavanath, smiling: You have great faith in medicine. We haven't so much.
  7676. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Medicine is His too. It is He Himself who is the physician, in one of His forms. Gangaprasad told me, "You must not drink water at ni…
  7677. 27Chapter Two
  7678. 28In Samadhi among Narendra, Bhavanath and Others
  7679. 29Hazra came and sat down. After talk of this and that, the Master said to him, "Look, yesterday at Ram's house so many people were sitting there, Vijay…
  7680. 30The day before, the day of the Mahashtami, the Master had gone to Calcutta to see the image. Before going to Adhar's house to see the image, he had st…
  7681. 31In a little while Narendra himself arrived, and there was no bound to the Master's joy. Narendra bowed down to the Master and then chatted a while in…
  7682. 32Bhavanath was singing:
  7683. 33O Mother, You are full of bliss: do not leave me without bliss. My mind knows nothing else but those two feet of Yours.
  7684. 34The Master came down from samadhi. He sang:
  7685. 35At what moment, in what play, do You dwell, Mother?
  7686. 36Again the Master sang:
  7687. 37Say the holy name of Sri Durga, O my mind, my own, my own, my own! Salutation, salutation, salutation to You, Gauri; salutation to You, Narayani! Have…
  7688. 38Chapter Three
  7689. 39Sri Ramakrishna's Samadhi and Dance among Bhavanath, Narendra and Others
  7690. 40Hazra was sitting on the north-east verandah, telling his beads on a rosary of the name of Hari. The Master came and sat in front of him and took Hazr…
  7691. 41Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: You see, I can't do japa. No, no, it has come! I can do it with the left hand, but that other thing, the japa of the name,…
  7692. 42With these words the Master tried to do a little japa. But as he began it he passed straight into samadhi!
  7693. 43The Master sat in that state of samadhi for a long time. The rosary was still in his hand. The devotees watched in wonder. Hazra, sitting on his own s…
  7694. 44After a long while he came back to outer consciousness. The Master exclaimed, "I'm hungry." He would say such words after samadhi to bring himself bac…
  7695. 45M. was going to fetch him something to eat. The Master exclaimed, "No, my dear, first I shall go to the Kali temple."
  7696. 46Sri Ramakrishna's 'Kali Worship' on the Day of the Navami Puja
  7697. 47The Master crossed the paved courtyard, facing south, towards the Kali temple. As he went he saluted, from where he was, Siva in the twelve temples. O…
  7698. 48Sri Ramakrishna said, "You say that this is wrong?"
  7699. 49In argument Hazra used to say more or less this: that God is within all, and that by spiritual discipline everyone can attain the Knowledge of Brahman…
  7700. 50The day was getting on. The bell for the arati of the food offering had rung. Brahmins, Vaishnavas and the poor were all going to the guest-house. All…
  7701. 51"Very well, Narendra and I will eat here."
  7702. 52Bhavanath, Baburam, M. and the rest all went to take the prasad.
  7703. 53After taking his meal of prasad the Master rested a little, but not for long! The devotees were sitting on the verandah chatting; he came and sat with…
  7704. 54Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That is the bent of his mind, isn't it? So he has dressed up like that.
  7705. 55Narendra: "He has dressed up as a brahmachari; I shall dress up as a vamachari." There was laughter.
  7706. 56Hazra: In that you have to practise the five m's, the chakra and all those things.
  7707. 57At this talk of vamachara the Master kept silent; he gave it no assent. He only made light of it with a jest. Suddenly, drunk with ecstasy, he began t…
  7708. 58I will not be beguiled again, Mother, though You beguile me: I have seen Your crimson feet.
  7709. 59Earlier Days: Rajnarayan's Chandi; the Songs of Nakur Acharya
  7710. 60The Master said, "Ah, how wonderful are Rajnarayan's songs of the Chandi! They dance as they sing, just like that. And in our part of the country ther…
  7711. 61A sadhu had come to the Panchavati, a very irascible sadhu. He abused and cursed anyone and everyone! Now he arrived, wearing his wooden sandals.
  7712. 62The sadhu said in Hindi, "Will there be fire to be had here?" With joined palms Sri Ramakrishna saluted the sadhu, and as long as the sadhu remained h…
  7713. 63When the sadhu had gone, Bhavanath said, laughing, "What devotion you have for sadhus!"
  7714. 64Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Oh, he is Narayana with the face of tamas! Those who have tamas have to be pleased in this way. And he is a sadhu, after all…
  7715. 65Sri Ramakrishna and the Game of Golokdham: 'The Right Man Wins Everywhere'
  7716. 66A game of Golokdham was going on. The devotees were playing, and Hazra too. The Master came and stood by. The pieces of M. and Kishori had reached hom…
  7717. 67That is to say, Hazra's piece had fallen into hell once more! Everyone roared with laughter.
  7718. 68With a throw of seven face up, Latu's piece went from the square of the world straight to Liberation! Latu danced and capered about. The Master said,…
  7719. 69Chapter Four
  7720. 70Narendra and Others Forbidden Spiritual Practice with Women; Vamachara Condemned
  7721. 71Earlier Days: The Pilgrimage; the Bhairavi Chakra at Kasi; the Master's Attitude of a Child
  7722. 72The Master was sitting on the small cot in his room. Narendra, Bhavanath, Baburam and M. sat on the floor below. Narendra brought up the sects of Ghos…
  7723. 73To Narendra: "You have no need to hear any more of this.
  7724. 74"The bhairavas and bhairavis are like that too. When I went to Kasi, one day they took me to a bhairavi chakra. There was a man as bhairava for each w…
  7725. 75"If husband and wife become bhairava and bhairavi, they are held in great honour.
  7726. 76Turning to Narendra and the other devotees: "You know how it is with me? My attitude is that of a mother and her child. To regard woman as mother is a…
  7727. 77"There are many paths by which God is reached. Every view is a path. Just as one can go to the Kali temple by many different roads. But some paths are…
  7728. 78"Many views, many paths—I have seen them. All that no longer appeals to me. They all quarrel with one another. There is no one else here; you are my o…
  7729. 79Hushed and still, the devotees heard these words.
  7730. 80Sri Ramakrishna and Love for People: Love of Mankind
  7731. 81Bhavanath, humbly: When I am on bad terms with someone, my mind is uneasy. It means I haven't been able to love everyone.
  7732. 82Sri Ramakrishna: First you should try, once, to talk with them, to make friends with them. If it doesn't come about even after you have tried, then do…
  7733. 83Bhavanath: Christ, Chaitanya, they have all said that one should love everyone.
  7734. 84Sri Ramakrishna: Love them, yes, you should, because God dwells in all beings. But where there are wicked people, salute them from a distance. What of…
  7735. 85Bhavanath: It was others who put her out.
  7736. 86Sri Ramakrishna: Could they have done it without his consent?
  7737. 87"What is one to do? If you don't win another's heart, must you think about that day and night? The mind I am to give to Him, am I to squander it here…
  7738. 88"Chandi will come to my house; how many Chandis I shall hear! How many dandis will come, and yogis with matted locks!
  7739. 89"When I have Him, I shall have everyone. 'Money is clay, clay is money; gold is clay, clay is gold': saying this I renounced them, and threw them into…
  7740. 90Bhavanath, laughing: That's a shrewd bargain!
  7741. 91Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes, that much shrewdness!
  7742. 92"God appeared before someone and said to him, 'I am well pleased with your austerities. Now take a boon.' The devotee said, 'Lord, if You will give me…
  7743. 93Chapter Five
  7744. 94God the Guardian; Sri Ramakrishna's Devotion to His Mother; in the Bliss of Sankirtan
  7745. 95The devotees were sitting in the room. Hazra was still sitting on the verandah.
  7746. 96Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what Hazra is after? He wants some money; there is hardship at home. Debts and loans. And so he says that because he does…
  7747. 97A devotee: Can't He fulfil one's desire?
  7748. 98Sri Ramakrishna: That is His will! But unless one is mad with love He does not take the whole burden. It is the little child that is led by the hand a…
  7749. 99Those who think of Me and worship Me, with no thought of any other, are ever united with Me: what they lack I bring them, and what they have I keep. B…
  7750. 100"He won't look after his own home himself! Hazra's son told Ramlal, 'Tell Father to come; we won't ask him for anything!' When I heard those words I f…
  7751. 101The Nectar of His Life Told in His Own Words: Seeing Vrindavan
  7752. 102"Hazra's mother told Ramlal, 'Ask Pratap to come just once; and tell your uncle in my name that he should ask Pratap to come!' I told him, but he woul…
  7753. 103"Is a mother a small thing? Only after reasoning with her a great deal could Chaitanya leave his mother. Sachi said she would cut Kesava Bharati in pi…
  7754. 104"As long as his mother lived, Narada could not go away to practise austerities. He had to serve his mother, you see. Only when she had left the body d…
  7755. 105"When I went to Vrindavan I no longer wanted to come back. It was settled that I would live with Gangamata. Everything was arranged! My bed would be o…
  7756. 106To Narendra: "Won't you say a word to him? The other day he told me, 'Yes, I'll go home; I'll go and stay three days.' And after that he's the same as…
  7757. 107To the devotees: "Today there has been all this talk of Ghoshpara and whatnot. Govinda, Govinda, Govinda! Now say the name of Hari a little. After the…
  7758. 108Narendra sang:
  7759. 109Fix your mind, O mind, on the one Ancient Person, the Stainless One. He is the first Truth, the Cause of causes; as life He pervades all that moves an…
  7760. 1102. In the sky of Consciousness the full moon of love has risen,
  7761. 111The Master danced. He danced round and round; everyone sang the kirtan and danced with him. Great was the joy. When the song was over, the Master hims…
  7762. 112Ever at play with Siva, She is lost in bliss.
  7763. 113The Master was very pleased to see that M. had sung with them! When the song was over the Master said to M., smiling, "It would have been fine with a…
  7764. 1Section Eighteen
  7765. 2Sri Ramakrishna Comes to Adhar's House and Rejoices in Kirtan with the Devotees
  7766. 3Chapter One
  7767. 4Sri Ramakrishna with Vijay, Kedar, Baburam and Other Devotees
  7768. 5Kedar, Vijay, Baburam, Narayan, M., Vaishnavcharan
  7769. 6Today is the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Aswin, Wednesday, the first of October, 1884. The Master is coming from Dakshineswar to Adhar's h…
  7770. 7He has arrived at Adhar's house. Many devotees have gathered here. Kedar, Vijay, Baburam and many others are present. Vaishnavcharan the kirtan singer…
  7771. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to Kedar and the other devotees: We met you on the road; otherwise you would have gone off to the Kali temple. By God's will we happe…
  7772. 9Kedar, humbly, with folded hands: "God's will—that is your will." The Master was smiling.
  7773. 10Chapter Two
  7774. 11In the Joy of Kirtan with the Devotees
  7775. 12Now the kirtan began. Vaishnavcharan began with the Abhisar, sang the Rasa, and so brought the cycle to its end. The moment the kirtan of the union of…
  7776. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay: He sings well!
  7777. 14Saying this he pointed to Vaishnavcharan and asked him to sing the song "Sri Gaurangasundar." Vaishnavcharan began:
  7778. 15"Sri Gaurangasundar, the new lord of dancers, his body of molten gold," and so on.
  7779. 16When the song was over the Master said to Vijay, "How was that?" Vijay said, "Wonderful." In the mood of Gauranga the Master himself began to sing:
  7780. 17Of course bhava will come! Of course bhava will come to Sri Gauranga, the treasure-house of bhava! In bhava he laughs, he weeps, he dances, he sings.…
  7781. 18Mani is singing along with him.
  7782. 19When the Master's song was finished, Vaishnavcharan sang again:
  7783. 20Say "Hari, Hari," O vina! Without the grace of Hari you will never reach the Supreme Truth. The name of Hari takes the burning away; with your lips sa…
  7784. 21Like a kirtan singer, the Master is intoning the tune along with the song. He is saying to Vaishnavcharan, Sing it like that—in the kirtan style.
  7785. 22Vaishnavcharan sang again:
  7786. 23O my tongue, repeat for ever the holy name of Durga. In peril, who will save but Sri Durga? The name of Durga is a boat to cross the ocean of the worl…
  7787. 24Over and over the Master sang with the singer:
  7788. 25You are the moving and the unmoving, Mother, You the subtle and the gross; Creation, preservation, dissolution are You, Mother, You the root of the un…
  7789. 26The kirtan singer began again:
  7790. 27Air, darkness and the rest, the void and the sky, Form, the quarters and the spaces between, shine forth from You. Brahma, Vishnu and all the immortal…
  7791. 28Chapter Three
  7792. 29Talk with Vijay and Others on God with Form and without Form: The Mountain of Sugar
  7793. 30Kedar and a few of the devotees rose: they were to go home. Kedar bowed to the Master and said, Then, sir, I shall take my leave.
  7794. 31Sri Ramakrishna: Will you go without telling Adhar? Isn't that discourteous?
  7795. 32Kedar: When He is pleased, the whole world is pleased. Since you have stayed, all of us have stayed. And then I have been feeling a little unwell. And…
  7796. 33Vijay: To go away leaving him here—
  7797. 34At this moment Adhar came to take the Master in. The leaf plates had been laid inside. The Master rose and, turning to Vijay and Kedar, said, Come wit…
  7798. 35After the meal the Master came back to the drawing-room and sat down again. Kedar, Vijay and the other devotees sat all around him.
  7799. 36Kedar's Entreaty and Plea for Pardon: Vijay's Vision of the Gods
  7800. 37With folded hands Kedar says to the Master, very humbly, Forgive me for having hesitated. Kedar, it seems, is thinking: where the Master has eaten, wh…
  7801. 38Kedar's work is at Dacca. Many devotees come to him there, and bring sandesh and all sorts of other things to feed him. Kedar is telling the Master ab…
  7802. 39Kedar, humbly: Many people come to feed me. What am I to do, Lord? Give me your command.
  7803. 40Sri Ramakrishna: If he is a devotee, one may eat a chandala's food. After my seven years of madness I went to my own part of the country, to Kamarpuku…
  7804. 41Kedar, softly, before taking leave: Lord, impart power to me. Many people come. What do I know?
  7805. 42Sri Ramakrishna: It will come right, it will! If the heart is truly set on God, it comes right.
  7806. 43Before Kedar had left, Sri Jogendra, the editor of the Bangavasi, came in, bowed to the Master and took his seat.
  7807. 44The talk is of God with form and without form.
  7808. 45Sri Ramakrishna: He is with form, without form, and who knows what else besides; we do not know! How can it do to say only "formless"?
  7809. 46Jogendra: That is one marvel of the Brahmo Samaj! A boy of twelve, and he too is seeing the formless! In the Adi Samaj there is not so much objection…
  7810. 47Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: He has put it nicely: he too is seeing the formless.
  7811. 48Adhar: Sivanath Babu does not accept God with form.
  7812. 49Vijay: That is a failure of his understanding. It is as he here says: the chameleon is now this colour, now that. The man who sits under the tree is t…
  7813. 50Sri Ramakrishna: What you saw was right.
  7814. 51Kedar: Form is for the devotee's sake. Through love the devotee sees form. When Dhruva had the vision of the Lord, he said, Why are Your earrings not…
  7815. 52Sri Ramakrishna: One must accept everything, you see; formless and with form, one must accept it all. In the Kali temple, while meditating, I saw a wo…
  7816. 53Saying this the Master began to sing: There has come a fakir of bhava.
  7817. 54Vijay: He is infinite power: can He not show Himself in yet another form? What a wonder! These people, all of them dust of the dust, set out to settle…
  7818. 55Sri Ramakrishna: Having read a little Gita, a little Bhagavata, a little Vedanta, people think, "I have understood it all!" An ant went to a mountain…
  7819. 1Section Twenty-One
  7820. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Dakshineswar Temple with Latu, M., Manilal, Mukherji and Other Devotees
  7821. 3Chapter One
  7822. 4Teaching to Manilal the Brahmo: Give Up the Spirit of Hostility
  7823. 5M.'s note on "hostility": Dogmatism.
  7824. 6Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in the temple at Dakshineswar.
  7825. 7Today is Thursday, the second of October, 1884, the seventeenth of Aswin, 1291, the twelfth and thirteenth days of the bright fortnight of Aswin, two…
  7826. 8These days Latu, Ramlal and Harish live with the Master, and Baburam too comes and stays now and then. Sri Ramlal performs the worship of the Mother B…
  7827. 9Present today are Sri Manilal Mallick; Priya Mukherji with Hari, a relative of his; a bearded Brahmo from Sibpur; and the Marwari devotees of 12 Malli…
  7828. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to Manilal and the others: A salutation made in the mind is best. What need is there to touch the feet when you bow? And when you sal…
  7829. 11"'My religion alone is right and everyone else's is false': that attitude is not good.
  7830. 12"I see that He Himself has become all things: men, images, the salagram; in all of them I see the One. I see nothing but the One; I do not see two!
  7831. 13"Many people think: our view is right and all the others are wrong; we have won and the rest have lost. But the one who has got far ahead perhaps gets…
  7832. 14"Winning and losing are in His hands. His doings cannot be understood at all. Look: the green coconut grows so high up and gets the sun, and yet it ha…
  7833. 15"Look at the human body. The head, which is the root, has gone up to the top."
  7834. 16Sri Ramakrishna, the Four Ashramas and the Truth of Yoga: the Brahmo Samaj and Union through the Mind
  7835. 17Manilal: What is our duty now?
  7836. 18Sri Ramakrishna: To stay united with Him in some way or other. There are two paths: the yoga of work and the yoga of the mind.
  7837. 19"Those who live in the ashramas are united with Him through work: brahmacharya, the householder's life, vanaprastha, sannyasa. Sannyasis are to give u…
  7838. 20M.'s note: "The wise know sannyasa to be the giving up of works done for desire; the discerning call the giving up of the fruit of all works renunciat…
  7839. 21"And whatever work you do, if you can do it free of desire, giving up the longing for its fruit, you are united with Him.
  7840. 22"The other path is the yoga of the mind. A yogi of this kind bears no outward sign; his union is within, like Jadabharata or Sukadeva. There are many…
  7841. 23"In the state of the paramahamsa, work drops away. Remembrance and contemplation remain; the mind is always in union. If he does any work, it is to te…
  7842. 24"Whether the union comes through work or through the mind, once there is bhakti everything can be known.
  7843. 25"Through bhakti kumbhaka comes of itself. When the mind becomes one-pointed the breath grows still, and when the breath is still the mind becomes one-…
  7844. 26Days Gone By: the Prayer to the Mother of the Universe in the Time of Sadhana; Bhakti Yoga
  7845. 27"Through bhakti yoga everything is attained. Weeping and weeping, I said to the Mother, 'Mother, what the yogis have known through yoga and the jnanis…
  7846. 28Manilal: And hatha yoga?
  7847. 29Sri Ramakrishna: The hatha yogis are sadhus attached to the body. They are forever doing their neti and dhauti, forever caring for the body. Their aim…
  7848. 30Mani Mallick: The Householder and Renunciation in the Mind; Talk of Keshab Sen
  7849. 31"What is your duty? You are to renounce woman and gold in the mind. You cannot call the world a crow's droppings.
  7850. 32"The Goswamis are householders, so I said to them, 'You have the service of the deity in your charge; how can you give up the world? You cannot brush…
  7851. 33"Chaitanyadeva told householders their duty: compassion for living beings, service of the Vaishnavas, the singing of the Name.
  7852. 34"Keshab Sen once said, 'He is telling us now to do both. One day he will turn and bite!' Not so. Why should I bite?"
  7853. 35Mani Mallick: Then do bite.
  7854. 36Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Why? You are all right as you are. What need have you to renounce?
  7855. 37Chapter Two
  7856. 38Only the Teacher Who Has Renounced Woman and Gold May Teach Others; the Hard Rule of the Sannyasi; Teaching to Manilal the Brahmo
  7857. 39Sri Ramakrishna: Those through whom He will teach mankind must renounce the world. The one who is a teacher must have renounced woman and gold; otherw…
  7858. 40"A physician gave a patient his medicine and said, 'Come again another day and I will tell you what to eat.' That day there were a great many pots of…
  7859. 41"I saw the acharya of the Adi Samaj. I hear he has married a second or third wife, and with grown-up sons!
  7860. 42"Such are these teachers! If they say 'God is the truth and all else is false', who will believe them? You can see for yourself what their disciples w…
  7861. 43The guru messes himself, and his disciple breaks wind! Even if a sannyasi renounces in the mind, if he lives with woman and gold outwardly he cannot t…
  7862. 44Sri Ramakrishna's Renunciation of Money: the Return of the Physician's Five Rupees
  7863. 45"Mahendra of Sinthi, the physician, left five rupees with Ramlal, and I knew nothing of it.
  7864. 46"After Ramlal told me, I asked, 'Whom did he give it to?' He said, 'For this place.' At first I thought, there is a debt for milk; that can be paid of…
  7865. 47"Do you know what it is for a sannyasi to take money or to be caught by greed? It is like a brahmin widow who, after eating the austere food of widowh…
  7866. 48"In our part of the country Bhagi the oil-woman gathered a great many disciples and followers. Seeing everyone bowing down to a Sudra, the landlord se…
  7867. 49Faith Comes after the Company of the Holy: Keshab Sen and Vijaykrishna Goswami
  7868. 50"You live in the world; you need the company of the good, of holy men.
  7869. 51"First the company of holy men, then faith. If sadhus do not sing the praises of His name and attributes, how will people come to have faith in God, b…
  7870. 52To M.: "Even after knowledge comes, constant practice is needed. Nangta used to say, 'What good is it to scour a brass pot once? Leave it lying and it…
  7871. 53"I must go to your house once. If I know where you are to be found, I shall meet more devotees there. Go and see Ishan once.
  7872. 54To Manilal: "Keshab Sen's mother had come here. The boys of their household sang the name of Hari, and she walked round them clapping her hands. I saw…
  7873. 55Manilal: Keshab Babu's grandfather Ramkamal Sen was a devotee. He would sit among the tulsi plants and repeat the Name. Keshab's father Pyarimohan too…
  7874. 56Sri Ramakrishna: Unless the father is like that, the son does not become such a devotee. Look at Vijay's state.
  7875. 57"Vijay's father would lose consciousness in bhava while reading the Bhagavata. Vijay every now and then springs up crying, 'Hari! Hari!'
  7876. 58"All that Vijay is seeing nowadays, the divine forms, is quite right!
  7877. 59"Speaking of form and the formless, Vijay said: it is like the chameleon's colour. It turns red, blue, and green too, and then again it has no colour…
  7878. 60Vijay Is Guileless: "God Is Realized When One Is Guileless"
  7879. 61"Vijay is truly guileless. Unless one is very open-hearted and guileless, God cannot be attained.
  7880. 62"Vijay went to Adhar Sen's house yesterday. It was as if it were his own home, as if everyone there were his own.
  7881. 63"Unless worldly-mindedness goes, one does not become open-hearted and guileless.
  7882. 64Saying this, the Master sings:
  7883. 65O mind, you will gain the priceless treasure when you are pure!
  7884. 66"Unless the clay is well kneaded, a pot cannot be made. If there is sand or a pebble inside, the pot cracks. That is why the potter kneads the clay fi…
  7885. 67"If dirt has settled on a mirror, you cannot see your face. Unless the mind is pure, one cannot see one's own true Self.
  7886. 68"Look, wherever there is an Incarnation, there is guilelessness: Nanda Ghosh, Dasaratha, Vasudeva, all of them were guileless.
  7887. 69"The Vedanta says that unless the intellect is pure, one does not even wish to know God. Without its being one's last birth, or without much austerity…
  7888. 70Chapter Three
  7889. 71Sri Ramakrishna's State of a Child
  7890. 72The Master's feet felt a little swollen, and he was anxious about it like a child.
  7891. 73Mahendra Kaviraj of Sinthi came and bowed down.
  7892. 74Sri Ramakrishna, to Priya Mukherji and the other devotees: Yesterday I said to Narayan, "Press your foot and see whether it leaves a dent." He pressed…
  7893. 75Mukherji: Yes, sir.
  7894. 76Sri Ramakrishna: Ah! What a relief!
  7895. 77Mani Mallick: Why? You should bathe in running water. Why take saltpetre and the like?
  7896. 78Sri Ramakrishna: No, my dear, you have strength in your blood. It is a different matter with you!
  7897. 79"I have been kept in a child's state.
  7898. 80"One day in the long grass something bit me. I had heard that if the snake bites again it draws the poison back out. So I sat with my hand in the hole…
  7899. 81"I had heard that the autumn dew is good, so on the way back from Calcutta in the carriage I put my head out to let the dew fall on it." Everyone laug…
  7900. 82To Mahendra of Sinthi: "That pandit of yours at Sinthi is a fine man, a Vedantavagish. He respects me. When I told him, 'You have read much; but give…
  7901. 83"I talked with him about the Vedanta.
  7902. 84Teaching to M.: the Pure Self and Avidya; Brahman and Maya; the Reasoning of the Vedanta
  7903. 85To M.: "The One who is the pure Self is unattached. In Him there is maya, or avidya. Within this maya there are three gunas: sattva, rajas, tamas. In…
  7904. 86"Put blue dye into water and the water turns blue; but put in alum and it is the water's own colour again.
  7905. 87"A chandala carrying a load of meat touched Sankara. As soon as Sankara said, 'You touched me!', the chandala said, 'Master, neither have I touched yo…
  7906. 88"Jadabharata too said these same things to King Rahugana.
  7907. 89"The pure Self is unattached. And the pure Self cannot be seen. When salt is dissolved in water, the salt cannot be seen with the eye.
  7908. 90"The One who is the pure Self is the Great Cause, the cause of causes. The gross, the subtle, the causal, the Great Cause. The five elements are the g…
  7909. 91"This pure Self is our true nature.
  7910. 92"What is knowledge? To know one's own true nature and keep the mind on it! To know this pure Self.
  7911. 93How Long Must One Work?
  7912. 94"How long must one work? As long as one identifies with the body, that is, as long as the idea 'I am the body' remains. The Gita says so.
  7913. 95M.'s note: "For no embodied being can give up work entirely; but the one who gives up the fruit of work is called a man of renunciation."
  7914. 96"To take the body for the Self: that is what ignorance means.
  7915. 97To the Brahmo devotee from Sibpur: "Are you a Brahmo?"
  7916. 98The Brahmo devotee: Yes, sir.
  7917. 99Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: I can tell one who worships the formless from his eyes and face. You should dive a little. Floating on the surface, you will…
  7918. 100The Marwari Devotees and Sri Ramakrishna: the Embodied Soul and the Chitta
  7919. 101The Marwari devotees of Barabazar came and bowed down. The Master is speaking in their praise.
  7920. 102Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Ah, what devotees these are! All of them going to the deity, singing hymns, receiving the prasad! The one they have…
  7921. 103A Marwari devotee: When one says "I am Your servant", who is this "I"?
  7922. 104Sri Ramakrishna: The subtle body, or the embodied soul. Mind, intellect, chitta and ego: these four together make up the subtle body.
  7923. 105The Marwari devotee: And who is the embodied soul?
  7924. 106Sri Ramakrishna: The Self entangled in the eight bonds. And what is meant by chitta? That which starts up and says "Oho!"
  7925. 107The Marwari Asks What Happens after Death: "The View of the Gita"
  7926. 108The Marwari devotee: Maharaj, what happens when one dies?
  7927. 109Sri Ramakrishna: According to the Gita, whatever you think of at the time of death, that you become. King Bharata thought of a deer and became a deer.…
  7928. 110The Marwari devotee: Well, Maharaj, why does one not feel dispassion for worldly things?
  7929. 111Sri Ramakrishna: This is what is called maya. Through maya the real seems unreal and the unreal real. The real is the One who is eternal, the Supreme…
  7930. 112The Marwari devotee: I read the scriptures, but why do they not take hold of me?
  7931. 113Sri Ramakrishna: What is the use of reading? Sadhana, austerity, is needed. Call on Him. What is the good of saying "siddhi, siddhi"? You have to take…
  7932. 114"This world is like a thorn bush: touch it and blood flows. If you bring a thorn bush and sit there saying, 'The bush is burnt', will it burn just lik…
  7933. 115"In the stage of sadhana you have to toil a little; after that the way is easy. Get round the bend and then let the boat go before a favourable wind.
  7934. 116First Give Up the World of Maya, Then Gain Knowledge and Realize God
  7935. 117"So long as you are inside the house of maya, so long as the cloud of maya is there, the sun of knowledge does not do its work. When you leave the hou…
  7936. 118"Again, if there is cloud, the burning glass will not burn the paper. Only when the cloud moves away does it work.
  7937. 119"If you stand a little apart from the house of woman and gold, and standing apart practise a little sadhana and austerity, only then is the darkness o…
  7938. 120"And woman and gold are the very cloud."
  7939. 121Chapter Four
  7940. 122Days Gone By: Sri Ramakrishna Loses Consciousness at Lakshminarayan's Offer of Ten Thousand Rupees; the Hard Rule of the Sannyasi
  7941. 123Sri Ramakrishna, to the Marwari: The rule for the man of renunciation is very hard. Not a trace of contact with woman and gold may remain. He will not…
  7942. 124"Lakshminarayan, a Marwari and a Vedantist, used to come here often. Seeing my bedding dirty, he said, 'I will settle ten thousand rupees on you, and…
  7943. 125"No sooner had he said it than I fell senseless, as though struck by a stick!
  7944. 126"When I came to, I said to him, 'If you ever say such a thing again, do not come here any more. I cannot touch money, nor can I keep it near me.'
  7945. 127"He was very sharp, and said, 'Then you still have something to reject and something to accept. In that case you have not attained knowledge.'
  7946. 128"I said, 'My dear sir, I have not got as far as that!'" Everyone laughed.
  7947. 129"Then Lakshminarayan wanted to give it to Hriday, and I said, 'Then I shall have to tell him, "Give to this one, give to that one", and if he does not…
  7948. 130"If something stands near a mirror, will it not be reflected?"
  7949. 131Sri Ramakrishna and the Truth about Liberation: "In the Kaliyuga the Path Is Not the Vedas but the Puranas"
  7950. 132The Marwari devotee: Maharaj, if one gives up the body in the Ganges, will one then be liberated?
  7951. 133Sri Ramakrishna: Liberation comes as soon as there is knowledge. Wherever he may be, whether he dies where carcasses are thrown or on the bank of the…
  7952. 134"But for the ignorant, the bank of the Ganges."
  7953. 135The Marwari devotee: Maharaj, why is there liberation at Kasi?
  7954. 136Sri Ramakrishna: When one dies at Kasi, Siva appears before him and says, "This form of mine is a form of maya; I take it on for the sake of the devot…
  7955. 137"According to the Puranas, even a chandala will be liberated if he has devotion. By this path it is enough to repeat the Name; sacrifices, rituals, ta…
  7956. 138"The path of the Vedas is different. Unless one is a brahmin there is no liberation. And unless the mantra is pronounced correctly, the worship is not…
  7957. 139The Yoga of Work Is Very Hard; in the Kaliyuga, the Yoga of Devotion
  7958. 140"In the Kaliyuga, where is the time to do the works the Vedas lay down?
  7959. 141"That is why in the Kaliyuga it is the bhakti of Narada.
  7960. 142"The yoga of work is very hard. Unless you can do it without desire, it becomes a cause of bondage. Besides, life depends on food; there is no time to…
  7961. 143"The bhakti of Narada means singing His name and glories.
  7962. 144"In the Kaliyuga the yoga of work is not the right one; the yoga of devotion alone is right.
  7963. 145"Do your work in the world as long as there is something left for you to work out. But devotion and longing love are needed. Sing His name and glories…
  7964. 146"One does not have to work for ever. The more pure devotion and love for Him grow, the less work there will be. When you attain Him, work falls away.…
  7965. 147Brahman Whose Nature Is Truth; Where There Are Tendencies from the Past, There Is Longing for God
  7966. 148Some young men came from the village of Dakshineswar and bowed down. They took their seats and are asking the Master questions. It must be about four…
  7967. 149A young man of Dakshineswar: Sir, what is knowledge?
  7968. 150Sri Ramakrishna: God is real and all else unreal: to know this is called knowledge.
  7969. 151"The One who is real has one name, Brahman, and another, Kala, Mahakala, Time. That is why people say, 'How much has passed away in time, how much has…
  7970. 152"Kali is She who sports with Kala. She is the Primal Sakti. Kala and Kali, Brahman and Sakti, are not different.
  7971. 153"That Brahman whose nature is Being is eternal; He exists in all three times, without beginning or end. He cannot be described in words. At the very m…
  7972. 154"The world is impermanent; He alone is eternal! The world is a conjuror's trick. The conjuror alone is real; the conjuror's trick is impermanent."
  7973. 155The young man: If the world is maya, a conjuror's trick, why does this maya not go?
  7974. 156Sri Ramakrishna: Maya does not go because of the fault of past tendencies. Living birth after birth in this world of maya, one comes to take maya for…
  7975. 157"Listen how great the power of past tendencies is. A king's son had been born in a washerman's house in his previous birth. Born now as a king's son,…
  7976. 158Govinda Pal, Gopal Sen, Niranjan and Hiranand, Born with Good Tendencies; Days Gone By: the Coming of Govinda, Gopal and the Tagore Boys, 1863-64
  7977. 159"Many young men come here, but only some are restless for God. They have come with tendencies from the past.
  7978. 160"Those young men cry out in alarm at the very mention of marriage! They never even think of marriage! Niranjan has said from boyhood, 'I won't marry.'
  7979. 161"A long time ago, more than twenty years, two boys used to come from Baranagore. One was called Govinda Pal and the other Gopal Sen. Their minds had b…
  7980. 162M.'s note on "Thakurs": Tagore.
  7981. 163"Gopal went into bhava under the Panchavati. In that state he put his hand on my feet and said, 'Then I will go. I cannot stay in this world any longe…
  7982. 164"Some days later Govinda came to see me. I asked, 'Where is Gopal?' He said, 'Gopal has gone', meaning he had left the body.
  7983. 165"And what are the other young men running after? How to make money; a house, a carriage, clothes, and after that marriage: that is what they rush abou…
  7984. 166"There is a man who speaks ill of me a great deal. He keeps saying that I love the boys. Those who have good tendencies from the past, who are pure so…
  7985. 167"Those who have married will not be attached to the world if they have devotion to God. Hiranand has married. Never mind; he will not be much attached…
  7986. 168Hiranand is from Sind, a B.A., a Brahmo devotee.
  7987. 169Manilal, the Brahmo devotee from Sibpur, the Marwari devotees and the young men bowed down and took their leave.
  7988. 170Chapter Five
  7989. 171When Does Work Drop Away? The Master's Promise to the Devotees
  7990. 172Evening came. The farash lit the lamps on the southern verandah and the round western verandah. In the Master's room a lamp was lit and incense burned…
  7991. 173The Master, sitting on his own seat, is repeating the Mother's name and meditating on Her. M., Sri Priya Mukherji and his relative Hari are sitting on…
  7992. 174After some time in meditation, the Master is again talking with the devotees. There is still a while before the evening worship in the temple.
  7993. 175The Vedanta and Sri Ramakrishna: Om and Samadhi; "Tattvamasi"; Om Tat Sat
  7994. 176Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What need of the evening devotions has the one who thinks of Him night and day!
  7995. 177The one who calls on Kali at the three twilights, what does he want with puja and sandhya? Sandhya seeks him out but never finds a meeting. Mercy, vow…
  7996. 178"Sandhya is absorbed into the Gayatri, the Gayatri into Om.
  7997. 179"When samadhi comes at saying Om just once, then it is ripe.
  7998. 180"At Hrishikesh a sadhu gets up in the morning and goes and stands by a great waterfall. All day long he gazes at the waterfall and says to God, 'Ah, w…
  7999. 181"And what need is there to think about whether He is formless or with form? It is enough to weep to Him in solitude and in secret, longing, and say, '…
  8000. 182"He is within and He is without.
  8001. 183"It is He who is within. That is why the Vedas say 'Tattvamasi', That thou art. And He is without as well. Through maya He appears as many forms; but…
  8002. 184"That is why, before describing any name or form, one should say 'Om Tat Sat'.
  8003. 185"Seeing Him is one thing, reading the scriptures another. From the scriptures you get only a hint, so there is no need to read a great many of them. B…
  8004. 186"One need not read the whole of the Gita. What you get by saying 'Gita, Gita' ten times over is the essence of the Gita, that is, 'tyagi', the renounc…
  8005. 187Sri Ramakrishna Sees the Evening Worship of Bhavatarini and Is Overcome by Bhava
  8006. 188Watching the evening worship of Mother Kali with the devotees, the Master has been overcome by bhava. And he cannot prostrate himself before the image…
  8007. 189Very carefully he came back with the devotees to his own room and sat on his seat. He is still in bhava, and in that state he is speaking.
  8008. 190Hari, Mukherji's relative, must be eighteen or twenty. He is married. For the present he lives at the Mukherjis' house; he is to take up employment. H…
  8009. 191Sri Ramakrishna and Taking a Mantra; Sri Ramakrishna's Promise to the Devotees
  8010. 192Sri Ramakrishna, in bhava, to Hari: Ask your mother and take a mantra. To Sri Priya: I could not even instruct this one, Hari; after all, I do not giv…
  8011. 193"Go on with whatever meditation and japa you do."
  8012. 194Priya: As you say, sir.
  8013. 195Sri Ramakrishna: And I am saying this in this state: believe my words. Look, there is no pretence or show here.
  8014. 196"I have said to the Mother in bhava, 'Mother, may those who come here with a heartfelt pull attain perfection.'"
  8015. 197Mahendra Kaviraj of Sinthi is sitting on the verandah, talking with Sri Ramlal, Hazra and the others. From his seat the Master calls him: "Mahindar! M…
  8016. 198M. hurried out and brought the physician in.
  8017. 199Sri Ramakrishna, to the physician: Do sit down. Listen a little.
  8018. 200The physician sat down, a little abashed, and began to listen to the Master's words, sweet as nectar.
  8019. 201Serving Him in Many Moods; Balarama's Attitude; the Three States of Gauranga
  8020. 202Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: He may be served in many ways.
  8021. 203"The loving devotee enjoys Him in many forms. Sometimes he thinks, 'You are the lotus and I the bee.' Sometimes, 'You are Satchidananda and I the fish…
  8022. 204"Again the loving devotee thinks, 'I am Your dancing girl!' and dances and sings before Him. Sometimes it is the attitude of a woman friend or of a ha…
  8023. 205"Balarama sometimes stayed in the mood of a friend, and sometimes thought, 'I have become Krishna's umbrella or seat.' He served Him in every way."
  8024. 206Is the Master, in describing the state of the loving devotee, telling of his own state? And again, in describing the three states of Chaitanyadeva, he…
  8025. 207Sri Ramakrishna: Chaitanyadeva had three states. In the inward state he was in samadhi, with no outer awareness. In the half-conscious state he could…
  8026. 208To the devotees: "You are hearing all these words; try to hold them fast. When worldly people come to a holy man, they hide their worldly talk and wor…
  8027. 209Worship at Dusk; Sri Ramakrishna and the Religion of the Muslims; Japa and Meditation
  8028. 210"Leave all your work and call on Him at dusk.
  8029. 211"In the dark one remembers God: all this could be seen a moment ago! Who has done this! Look at the Muslims: they leave all their work and say their n…
  8030. 212Mukherji: Sir, is it good to do japa?
  8031. 213Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, God is attained through japa. As one repeats His name in solitude and in secret, His grace comes. Then the vision.
  8032. 214"It is like a log of bahaduri wood sunk under water and tied with a chain to the bank. Follow that chain link by link, and in the end you can touch th…
  8033. 215"Japa is greater than worship. Meditation is greater than japa. Bhava is greater than meditation. Mahabhava, prema, is greater than bhava. Chaitanyade…
  8034. 216Hazra has come and sat down.
  8035. 217Raga Bhakti, Telling Beads, and Sri Ramakrishna: Narayan
  8036. 218To Hazra: "When love for Him comes, that is called raga bhakti. Vaidhi bhakti, devotion by rule, takes as long to go as it takes to come. Raga bhakti…
  8037. 219Hazra: Ah!
  8038. 220Sri Ramakrishna: One day when you were doing japa, I came back from the latrine and said, "Mother, what meanness of mind! He comes here and sits telli…
  8039. 221The Master says to M., "Bring Narayan in a carriage. I have told this one too, Mukherji, about Narayan. When he comes I shall give him something to ea…
  8040. 1Chapter Six
  8041. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Joy of Kirtan with the Brahmo Devotees at Sri Navin Sen's House in Kalutola
  8042. 3Today is Saturday, the Kojagari full moon. The Master has come to the Kalutola house of Navin Sen, the elder brother of Sri Keshab Sen. It is the four…
  8043. 4On Thursday last Keshab's mother had come with an invitation for the Master and had pleaded with him again and again to come.
  8044. 5The Master went upstairs to a room in the outer apartments and sat down. Keshab's nephews, Nandalal and the rest, Keshab's mother, and their relatives…
  8045. 6With the Master are Baburam, Kishori and one or two other devotees. M. has come too. He sits downstairs, listening to the Master's sweet kirtan.
  8046. 7The Master is telling the Brahmo devotees that the world is not lasting, and that one ought to keep death always in mind. He sings:
  8047. 8Think it over, O mind: no one is anyone's own; vain is the delusion of this world. Bound in the net of maya, do not forget Dakshina Kali. For two or t…
  8048. 9The Master says: "Dive deep! What use is it to stay floating on top?
  8049. 10"Go into solitude for a few days, leave everything, and call on Him with your whole mind." The Master sings:
  8050. 11Dive, dive, dive deep, O my mind, into the ocean of Beauty; search the lowest depths and the nether world, and you will find the gem of love, your tre…
  8051. 12The Master asks the Brahmo devotees to sing the song "Thou art my all."
  8052. 13Thou art my all (O Lord), my life's support, the essence of all essence. There is none but Thee in the three worlds whom I may call my own.
  8053. 14The Master himself sings:
  8054. 15Yasoda would make You dance, calling You her Nilamani; where have You hidden that form, O Mother of the terrible face? (Dance once, O Syama) (laying d…
  8055. 16When Keshab heard this song, he had a song set to the same tune. The Brahmo devotees are singing it now to the drum and cymbals:
  8056. 17How dearly You love Your human children, O Mother! When I remember it, love streams from my two eyes.
  8057. 18They sing the Mother's name again:
  8058. 191. You keep awake within me, O Mother, O Indweller; You hold me in Your lap through the day and the night.
  8059. 202. Why do you brood so, O mind, like one poor, lowly and destitute? My Mother is the Sovereign of the universe, the Queen of the perfect, the Giver of…
  8060. 21Now the Master chants the name of Hari and the name of Sri Gauranga, and dances with the Brahmo devotees.
  8061. 221. Take the sweet name of Hari, O soul, if you would live in happiness.
  8062. 232. A wave of Gaura's love has broken over me. With his roar he crushes the wicked, and this whole universe goes under.
  8063. 243. I shall go to Vraja dressed as a beggar; give me the loincloth, O Bharati.
  8064. 254. Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers, O Lords, you are mercy itself.
  8065. 265. My Gaur is dancing, crying "Hari!"
  8066. 276. Who goes along making all cry "Haribol, Haribol"? Go and find out, Madhai, and come back. (Is it my Gaur who goes, or is it Nitai?) (they with gold…
  8067. 28The Brahmo devotees sing again:
  8068. 29When, oh when, will that love be kindled in me? My every longing fulfilled, I shall chant the name of Hari, and tears of love will stream from my eyes…
  8069. 30The Master, in loud kirtan, sings and dances:
  8070. 311. They whose eyes overflow as they cry "Hari," they, the two brothers, they have come! (they who are beaten and beg men to take love) (they who weep…
  8071. 322. Nadia rocks and sways, rocks and sways, on the swelling tide of Gaura's love!
  8072. 33The Master sings the Mother's name:
  8073. 34O Mother, You are Bliss itself; do not leave me without joy.
  8074. 35The Brahmo devotees sing two songs of their own.
  8075. 361. Make me mad, O Mother.
  8076. 372. In the sky of Consciousness the moon of love has risen, full.
  8077. 1Section Twenty-Two
  8078. 2At the Dakshineswar Temple with Baburam, M., Nilkantha, Manomohan and Other Devotees
  8079. 3Chapter One
  8080. 4Hazra Mahasay; Love That Seeks No Reward
  8081. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in his own room in the temple at Dakshineswar with the devotees, after the midday meal. Near him on the floor are M., Hazra…
  8082. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: Yesterday at this house of Keshab Sen's (the house of Navin Sen) I ate well. They fed me with real devotion.
  8083. 7Hazra Mahasay and the Knowledge of the Tattvas; Hazra and the Arguing Intellect
  8084. 8Hazra Mahasay has been living near the Master for a long time. He has a little vanity, the thought "I am a jnani." Before other people he even finds a…
  8085. 9Bara Kali works in an office, on a small salary. At home he has his wife and children. He has great devotion to the Paramahamsa, and now and then he e…
  8086. 10Bara Kali, to Hazra: You go about as a touchstone, testing and testing who is good gold and who is bad gold. Why do you find so much fault with others…
  8087. 11Hazra: Whatever I have to say, I say it to him alone.
  8088. 12Sri Ramakrishna: That is true.
  8089. 13Hazra is explaining what tattvajnana means.
  8090. 14Hazra: Tattvajnana means this: to know that there are twenty-four tattvas.
  8091. 15A devotee: What are the twenty-four tattvas?
  8092. 16Hazra: The five elements, the six enemies within, five organs of knowledge and five organs of action; all these.
  8093. 17M., to the Master, smiling: He says the six enemies are among the twenty-four tattvas!
  8094. 18Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: There, just look! Look at what he is making of it in the name of tattvajnana. Tattvajnana means Self-knowledge! Tat means th…
  8095. 19After a little while Hazra left the room and went and sat on the verandah.
  8096. 20Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and the others: He only argues. At one moment he understands perfectly well, and a little later he is just as he was.
  8097. 21"When a big fish pulls hard, I let out the line. Otherwise it will snap the line, and the man who has hooked it will fall into the water along with it…
  8098. 22Hazra on Liberation and the Six Divine Riches; Tainted Love and Love That Seeks No Reward
  8099. 23To M.: "Hazra says, 'Without a brahmin's body there is no liberation.' I said, What! Through bhakti alone one will be liberated. Sabari was a hunter's…
  8100. 24"He accepts Dhruva. He doesn't accept Dhruva as much as he accepts Prahlada. When Noto said, 'Dhruva had such great love from his childhood,' then he…
  8101. 25"I say that bhakti free of all desire, love that seeks no reward, is the highest of all; there is nothing beyond it. That he waves aside. When people…
  8102. 26"Hazra says He is not like these rich men. Is there any lack of riches with Him, that it should pain Him to give?
  8103. 27"Hazra says this too: 'When rain comes down from the sky, the Ganges and every one of the great rivers and the great tanks swell; and the little ponds…
  8104. 28"But this is called tainted bhakti. In pure bhakti there will be no desire at all. You want nothing here, but you love to see me and to hear my words;…
  8105. 29"To want nothing and yet to love: this is called love that seeks no reward, pure bhakti. Prahlada had it. He wanted no kingdom, he wanted no riches; h…
  8106. 30M.: Hazra Mahasay just keeps chattering away. Unless he is quiet, nothing will come of it.
  8107. 31Hazra's Egotism and His Faultfinding
  8108. 32Sri Ramakrishna: Every now and then he comes close and grows quite soft! Then—what an evil star!—he argues again. Egotism is very hard to shake off. Y…
  8109. 33"I tell Hazra: Don't find fault with anyone.
  8110. 34"It is Narayana Himself who has taken all these forms. Even a wicked, bad man can be worshipped.
  8111. 35"Look at the worship of the virgin. Why worship a girl who dirties herself and wets herself, whose nose is running? Because she is one form of Bhagava…
  8112. 36"He dwells in the devotee in a special way. The devotee is God's drawing room.
  8113. 37"When the gourd is nice and round, the tanpura is a good one: it sounds well.
  8114. 38Smiling, to Ramlal: "Tell me, Ramlal, how was it Hazra said that? Antas bahis yadi haris, with an s sound? Like the man who said 'mataram bhataram kha…
  8115. 39Ramlal, smiling: Antarbahiryadi haris tapasa tatah kim: if Hari is within and without, what need is there of austerity?
  8116. 40Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Learn this by heart, and say it to me now and then.
  8117. 41A plate from the Master's room has gone missing. Ramlal and Brinde the maid are talking about it: "Do you know anything of that plate?"
  8118. 42Sri Ramakrishna: Why, I don't see it any more! It was there before, I know; I saw it.
  8119. 43Chapter Two
  8120. 44Sri Ramakrishna with Two Sadhus; the Master's State of a Paramahamsa
  8121. 45Today two sadhus have come as guests to the Panchavati. They study the Gita, the Vedanta and such books. After their midday meal they have come to see…
  8122. 46Sri Ramakrishna: Have you had your meal?
  8123. 47The sadhus: Ji, yes.
  8124. 48Sri Ramakrishna: What did you eat?
  8125. 49The sadhus: Dal and roti. Will you have some?
  8126. 50The Sadhu and Work without Desire; the Desire for Bhakti; the Vedanta; the Worldly Man and "I Am He"
  8127. 51Sri Ramakrishna: No, I eat a little rice. Well, ji, the japa and meditation you practise, you do it without desire, don't you?
  8128. 52A sadhu: Ji, Maharaj.
  8129. 53Sri Ramakrishna: That is good. And one has to offer the fruit to God, isn't that so? The Gita says so.
  8130. 54A sadhu, to the other sadhu:
  8131. 55Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you pour into the sacred fire, and whatever you give away, whatever austerity you perform, Kaunteya, make…
  8132. 56Sri Ramakrishna: Whatever you give to Him once, you will receive a thousandfold. So when all your work is done you offer a handful of water: the fruit…
  8133. 57"When Yudhishthira was going to hand over all his sins to Krishna, someone (Bhima) warned him: 'Don't do anything of the kind! What you give to Krishn…
  8134. 58A sadhu: Ji, yes.
  8135. 59Sri Ramakrishna: But I do have a desire for bhakti. It is no bad thing; in fact it does good. Sweets are a bad thing, they bring on acidity; but sugar…
  8136. 60A sadhu: Ji, Maharaj.
  8137. 61Sri Ramakrishna: Well, ji, what is the Vedanta like?
  8138. 62A sadhu: In the Vedanta there are six systems, the six darsanas.
  8139. 63Sri Ramakrishna: But the essence of the Vedanta is: Brahman is real, the world is unreal. I am nothing separate; I am that Brahman. Isn't that so?
  8140. 64A sadhu: Ji, yes.
  8141. 65Sri Ramakrishna: But for those who live in the world, and for those who are conscious of the body, this feeling, "I am He," does no good. For a househ…
  8142. 66"For those who have the body-idea, the attitude 'I am He' does no good."
  8143. 67Everyone sat in silence. The Master was smiling softly to himself. Atmarama, one who delights in the Self. Rejoicing in his own bliss!
  8144. 68One sadhu whispered to another: "Look, look! This is what they call the paramahamsa state."
  8145. 69Sri Ramakrishna, to M., looking towards him: I feel like laughing.
  8146. 70Like a child, the Master went on smiling softly to himself.
  8147. 71Chapter Three
  8148. 72Sri Ramakrishna and "Woman": The Hard Rule of the Sannyasi
  8149. 73Earlier Days: The Wish to Visit a Father-in-Law's House; Meeting Bamandas of Ulo
  8150. 74The sadhus, having had his darshan, took their leave.
  8151. 75The Master was walking about in the room and on the verandah with Baburam, M., Hari of the Mukherjis, and other devotees.
  8152. 76Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Did you go to Navin Sen's place?
  8153. 77M.: Yes, sir, I did. I sat downstairs and listened to the singing.
  8154. 78Sri Ramakrishna: That was well done. Your people had gone there. Is Keshab Sen their cousin, an uncle's son?
  8155. 79M.: There is a little distance in the relationship.
  8156. 80Sri Navin Sen and his family were related to a devotee through his father-in-law's house.
  8157. 81As he walked up and down with Mani, the Master talked with him apart.
  8158. 82Sri Ramakrishna: People go to their fathers-in-law's houses. How I used to dream that I would take a wife, visit my in-laws' home, and enjoy every fon…
  8159. 83Mani: Sir, you yourself say, "If the son holds the father's hand he may fall; but the son whose hand the father holds does not fall." That is exactly…
  8160. 84Sri Ramakrishna: I met Bamandas of Ulo at the Biswases' house. I told him, I've come here to see you. After I came away, word reached me that he had s…
  8161. 85"I am very much afraid of women. I see them as a tigress coming to devour me! And I see their limbs, their parts and their openings all huge! I see th…
  8162. 86"At first I had a terrible fear! I would let no woman come near me. Now, after a good deal of reasoning with my mind, I manage to see each one as a fo…
  8163. 87"They are a part of the Divine Mother. But for a man, for a sadhu, for a devotee, they are to be shunned.
  8164. 88"However devout a woman may be, I don't let her sit near me for long. After a little while I either say, 'Go and see the deities in the temple,' or, i…
  8165. 89"I find that some have no leaning towards women at all. Niranjan says, 'Why, my mind doesn't go towards women.'
  8166. 90Haribabu, Niranjan, Pande the Up-Country Man, Jaynarayan
  8167. 91"I asked Hari, Dr. Upen's brother, and he said the same: 'No, my mind doesn't go towards women.'
  8168. 92"The mind that is to be given to God, a woman takes away twelve annas of it. Then, once a son is born to him, nearly the whole of that mind gets spent…
  8169. 93"And then some men wear their lives out just guarding her. Old Pande, the up-country jamadar, has a wife of fourteen! She has to live with the old man…
  8170. 94"One man's wife is such that he can't decide where to keep her now. There was a great commotion in the house. He is terribly worried. But let us not s…
  8171. 95"And living with a woman, a man cannot help falling under her control. Worldly men sit down when their women tell them to sit and stand up when they t…
  8172. 96"Once I wanted to go somewhere. I asked Ramlal's aunt, and she forbade it, so I didn't go. A little later I thought: Oh! I have no family life, I have…
  8173. 97Mani: When one stays among woman and gold, one is bound to feel at least a little of the heat. You told us that Jaynarayan, so learned a man, had grow…
  8174. 98Sri Ramakrishna: But he had no pride in his learning. And what he had said came to pass: in the end, as the rule is, he went to live at Kasi.
  8175. 99"I saw his sons: boots on their feet and English-educated.
  8176. 100The Master's Divine Madness and Other States
  8177. 101Putting it as a question, the Master explained his own state to Mani.
  8178. 102Sri Ramakrishna: Before, there was great madness. Why has it lessened now? But it still comes from time to time.
  8179. 103Mani: Your state is not of one kind only. As you once said, at times childlike, at times as one mad, at times inert as matter, at times like a ghoul:…
  8180. 104Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, like a child. And along with that come the states of childhood, boyhood and youth. When I give instruction in knowledge, that is…
  8181. 105"Then there is the boyish state. I feel like playing pranks like a lad of twelve or thirteen. That is why there is all this larking about with the you…
  8182. 106Narayan's Virtues; Renouncing Woman and Gold, the Sannyasi's Hard Discipline
  8183. 107"Tell me, what do you think of Narayan?"
  8184. 108Mani: Sir, all his signs are good.
  8185. 109Sri Ramakrishna: The gourd is of a good shape; the tanpura will sound well.
  8186. 110"He tells me, 'You are everything,' meaning an Incarnation. Each person speaks according to his own understanding. Some say I am simply a holy man, a…
  8187. 111"Whatever I have forbidden him, he takes firmly to heart. I told him to roll up the curtain, and he would not roll it up.
  8188. 112"Tying knots, sewing, rolling up curtains, locking doors and boxes with a key: I had forbidden all these, and he has grasped it exactly. One who means…
  8189. 113"In the time of spiritual practice 'woman' is like a forest fire, like a black cobra! In the state of perfection, after the vision of God, then she is…
  8190. 114A few days before, the Master had warned Narayan very strongly about women. He had said: "Don't let even the air from a woman's body touch you. Keep a…
  8191. 115Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: His mother said to Narayan, "Seeing him, even we are enchanted; and you are only a boy!" Unless one is guileless, one cannot…
  8192. 116Mani: Yes, sir.
  8193. 117Are Niranjan and Narendra Guileless?
  8194. 118Sri Ramakrishna: Didn't you notice him in the carriage the other day, on the way to Calcutta? Always the same: guileless. People are one way inside th…
  8195. 119Sri Ramakrishna at Navin Niyogi's House; Nilkantha's Yatra
  8196. 120"Today I went to hear Nilkantha's yatra, at Dakshineswar, at Navin Niyogi's house. The young fellows there are a bad lot. Nothing but running down thi…
  8197. 121"That other time, during the yatra, I saw the tears streaming from Dr. Madhu's eyes and kept looking at him. I could not look at anyone else."
  8198. 122Chapter Four
  8199. 123Sri Ramakrishna, Keshab and the Brahmo Samaj: Teaching on Harmony
  8200. 124The Universal Catholic Church of Sri Ramakrishna
  8201. 125Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Tell me, people come here drawn by such attraction. What does it mean?
  8202. 126Mani: It reminds me of the lila in Braja. When Krishna Himself became the cowherd boys and the calves, the gopis began to feel a greater pull towards…
  8203. 127Sri Ramakrishna: That is the attraction of God. You see, the Mother casts a kind of spell like this, and the attraction comes.
  8204. 128"But tell me, so many people used to go to Keshab Sen; not nearly as many come here. And how many people honour Keshab Sen! He is known even in Englan…
  8205. 129Mani: It was worldly people who went to Keshab Sen.
  8206. 130Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that is true. People of this world.
  8207. 131Mani: Will what Keshab Sen did endure?
  8208. 132Sri Ramakrishna: Why not? He has left a Samhita behind, and how many rules there are in it!
  8209. 133Mani: When an Incarnation does the work Himself, it is a different matter; Chaitanya's work, for example.
  8210. 134Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, yes, that's right.
  8211. 135Mani: You do say, don't you, that Chaitanyadeva said, The seed I have scattered and left behind will do its work some day or other. Someone had kept s…
  8212. 136Sri Ramakrishna: Well, the Samaj that Sivanath and the others have started, many people go there too.
  8213. 137Mani: Yes, sir, people of that kind go.
  8214. 138Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes, yes, it's worldly people who all go there. Those who are restless for God, who are trying to give up woman and gold, fe…
  8215. 139Mani: If a current were to flow from here, that would be fine. Everything would be swept along in the pull of that current. Whatever comes from here w…
  8216. 140Sri Ramakrishna and the Hindus, Muslims and Christians; the Vaishnava and the Knower of Brahman
  8217. 141Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: I keep safe each man's own bhava, whatever it may be. I tell a Vaishnava to hold on to the Vaishnava's bhava, and a Sakta to…
  8218. 142"Vijay's mother-in-law says to me, 'Why don't you tell Balaram and his people: what is the need of worshipping God with form? It's enough just to call…
  8219. 143"I said, 'Why should I go and say such a thing, and why should they go and listen to it?' A mother has fish to cook. For one child she makes pilau; fo…
  8220. 144Mani: Yes, sir. With country, time and person the road differs. But whichever road one travels by, one finds Him only by calling on Him with a pure mi…
  8221. 145Hari of the Mukherjis; Sri Ramakrishna on Charity and Meditation
  8222. 146The Master is sitting on his own seat inside the room. On the floor sit Hari of the Mukherjis, M. and others. A stranger bowed to the Master and took…
  8223. 147Hari filled a pipe of tobacco and brought it to the Master.
  8224. 148Sri Ramakrishna, hookah in hand, to Hari: Let me see yours; let me see your hand. Here, all the signs are there. This is a very good sign.
  8225. 149"Let your hand go loose. Let me see." He took Hari's hand in his own as if weighing it. "He still has a child's mind; no fault has come upon him yet."…
  8226. 150To M.: "Well, how about it?" M. and the others laughed.
  8227. 151M.: Sir, if a new pot goes bad, milk can no longer be kept in it.
  8228. 152Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And how did you know it hasn't gone bad yet?
  8229. 153The Mukherjis are two brothers, Mahendra and Priyanath. They are in no one's employ; they own a flour mill. Priyanath once worked as an engineer. The…
  8230. 154Sri Ramakrishna, to Hari: The elder brother is very good, isn't he? So simple.
  8231. 155Hari: Yes, sir.
  8232. 156Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "They say the younger one is a great miser? And that he has grown much better since coming here. He said to me, 'I k…
  8233. 157Hari: I don't see much of it. Their eldest brother, the one who has passed away, was a very good man; he gave much in charity and was much given to me…
  8234. 158Sri Ramakrishna and the Marks of the Body; Mahesh Nyayaratna's Student
  8235. 159Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and the others: From the marks of the body one can tell a good deal about whether a man will get there or not. If a man is croo…
  8236. 160"A pressed-in nose is not good. Sambhu's nose was pressed in; that is why, for all his knowledge, he wasn't so simple!
  8237. 161"Being short of a rib is not a good mark. Then bony limbs, with thick elbow joints and thin arms. And cat's eyes: tawny eyes like a cat's.
  8238. 162"Lips like a Dom's mean a low mind. The priest of the Vishnu temple came here to act in the post for a few months! I would not eat from his hand. All…
  8239. 163"A worse mark still: one-eyed, and squint-eyed. Better even to be blind in one eye than to have a squint. Such a man is very wicked and crooked.
  8240. 164"A student of Mahesh's, Mahesh Nyayaratna's, came here. He says, 'I am an atheist.' He said to Hriday, 'I'm an atheist; you be the believer and disput…
  8241. 165"Again, from the way a man walks one can tell whether his marks are good or bad.
  8242. 166"If the skin over the male organ is cut, as with the Muslims, that is a bad sign." M. and the others laughed. To M., smiling: "You look at that; it's…
  8243. 167The Master walks out of the room on to the verandah, with M. and Baburam beside him.
  8244. 168To Hazra: "Somebody came here; his eyes, I noticed, were cat's eyes. He says, 'Do you know astrology? I have some troubles.' I said, 'No; go to Barana…
  8245. 169Baburam and M. are talking about Nilkantha's yatra. Baburam had come back to Dakshineswar from Navin Sen's house and spent the night here. In the morn…
  8246. 170Sri Ramakrishna, Mani and Secret Thought of God; "the Will of God"; Concern for Narayan
  8247. 171Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and Baburam: What talk is going on between you?
  8248. 172M. and Baburam: Sir, we're talking about Nilkantha's yatra, and about that song, "My hope is in Syama's feet, my dwelling on the river's bank."
  8249. 173The Master, walking up and down the verandah, suddenly takes Mani aside and says to him: The fewer people come to know of your thinking on God, the be…
  8250. 174The Master is talking with Hazra.
  8251. 175Hazra: Nilkantha did tell you he would come. Someone might go and call him.
  8252. 176Sri Ramakrishna: No, he has been up all night. If he comes of himself by God's will, that is another thing.
  8253. 177The Master is going toward the tamarisk grove, with Baburam and M. He is telling Baburam to go to Narayan's house and see him. He sees Narayan as Nara…
  8254. 178Chapter Five
  8255. 179In the Joy of Kirtan with Nilkantha and Other Devotees
  8256. 180Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on his own seat in his room. It is about three in the afternoon. Nilkantha arrives at the Master's room with five or seven…
  8257. 181The Master is in samadhi. Behind him is Baburam; before him M., Nilkantha and the other yatra players, all struck with wonder. Dinanath the treasurer…
  8258. 182Sri Ramakrishna, still in bhava: I am well.
  8259. 183Nilkantha, with folded hands: Make me well too.
  8260. 184Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "But you are well already. Add the long 'a' to ka and you have kaa; what good is adding the long 'a' again? Put it once more…
  8261. 185Nilkantha: Sir, here I am, stuck in this worldly life!
  8262. 186Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: It is for the sake of other people that He keeps you in the world.
  8263. 187"There are the eight fetters. They don't all go. He leaves one or two fetters for the teaching of people. You have taken up the yatra, and seeing your…
  8264. 188"He is getting His work done through you. When the work is finished you will not come back. The mistress of the house finishes all the household work,…
  8265. 189Nilkantha: Give me your blessing.
  8266. 190Sri Ramakrishna: Mad with grief at being parted from Krishna, Yasoda went to Sri Radha. Radha was then in meditation. Possessed by her state, she said…
  8267. 191"When your eyes flood with tears as you take His name, what more have you to worry about? Love for Him has come to you.
  8268. 192"Knowing the many is called ajnana; knowing the One is called jnana, that is to say, that the one God alone is real and dwells in all beings. To conve…
  8269. 193"And there is more: He is beyond the one and the two, beyond speech and mind. To go from the Lila to the Nitya, and again to come from the Nitya to th…
  8270. 194"That song of yours is very fine: 'My hope is in Syama's feet, my dwelling on the river's bank.'
  8271. 195"If that is so, then all is well. Everything depends on His grace.
  8272. 196"But that does not mean you need not call on Him. Nothing comes of keeping silent. A lawyer puts the whole case before the judge and says at the end,…
  8273. 197After a little while the Master said: "You sang so much this morning, and then you took the trouble to come here as well. But here it is honorary."
  8274. 198The word is the English "honorary."
  8275. 199Nilkantha: Why so?
  8276. 200Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: I know what you are going to say.
  8277. 201Nilkantha: I shall carry away a priceless gem!
  8278. 202Sri Ramakrishna: That priceless gem is already with you. And what good is it to add the long 'a' to ka again? Otherwise why should your singing please…
  8279. 203"The ordinary creature is called manush, a man. He whose consciousness has awakened is a manhunsh, a man who is awake. You are such a manhunsh.
  8280. 204"When I heard that you were going to sing, I was coming over myself; and Niyogi too came to tell me of it."
  8281. 205The Master went back and sat on his own seat on the small cot. He said to Nilkantha, "Let me hear a little of the Mother's name."
  8282. 206Nilkantha and his troupe sang:
  8283. 207The song: My hope is in Syama's feet, my dwelling on the river's bank.
  8284. 208The song: Mahishamardini.
  8285. 209As he listened to this song the Master stood up and passed into samadhi!
  8286. 210Nilkantha was singing, "He in whose matted locks is the Ganges holds the Queen of Kings in His heart."
  8287. 211Drunk with divine love, the Master danced. Nilkantha and the devotees circled round and round him, singing and dancing.
  8288. 212The song: Siva, Siva.
  8289. 213To this song too the Master danced with the devotees.
  8290. 214The singing ended. The Master said to Nilkantha, "I want to hear that song of yours, the one I heard in Calcutta."
  8291. 215M.: Sri Gauranga, the beautiful, the new dancer, his body like molten gold.
  8292. 216Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, yes.
  8293. 217Nilkantha sang:
  8294. 218Sri Gauranga the beautiful, the new dancer, his body like molten gold.
  8295. 219Taking up the refrain "He floats away on the flood of love," the Master was dancing once more, Nilkantha and the other devotees with him. No one who s…
  8296. 220Sri Manomohan went into ecstasy. Several women of his household had come, and they were watching this wonderful dancing and kirtan from the northern v…
  8297. 221The Master struck up a song again:
  8298. 222They whose eyes stream with tears as they say Hari's name, they have come, the two brothers have come!
  8299. 223Singing kirtan, the Master danced with Nilkantha and the other devotees, adding lines of his own:
  8300. 224"Drunk with Radha's love, they have come, the two brothers have come."
  8301. 225Hearing the loud kirtan, people had come from all around and crowded in. On the south and north verandahs and the semicircular verandah to the west, p…
  8302. 226The kirtan came to an end. The Master bowed down to the Mother of the Universe and said: Bhagavata, bhakta, Bhagavan—salutations to the jnanis, saluta…
  8303. 227Now the Master came out with Nilkantha and the other devotees and sat on the semicircular verandah to the west. Dusk had fallen. It was the day after…
  8304. 228Who Is the Master? "I Cannot Find the 'I'"; "I Shall Bring Chandi Home"
  8305. 229Nilkantha: You are Gauranga himself.
  8306. 230Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, what talk is this! I am the servant of everyone's servant.
  8307. 231"The waves are the Ganges' own. But can a wave ever become the Ganges?"
  8308. 232Nilkantha: Say what you will, that is how we see you!
  8309. 233Sri Ramakrishna, a little overcome with bhava, in a plaintive voice: My dear, I go looking for my "I," but I cannot find it.
  8310. 234"Hanuman said: 'O Rama, sometimes I think, You are the Whole, I am a part; You the Lord and I the servant; but when the knowledge of Truth dawns, I se…
  8311. 235Nilkantha: What more can I say? Be gracious to us.
  8312. 236Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: You are carrying so many people across. Your songs awaken the spirit in so many.
  8313. 237Nilkantha: You say I carry them across. But bless me, that I may not drown myself!
  8314. 238Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: If you drown, it will be in that lake of nectar!
  8315. 239The Master was delighted to have Nilkantha with him. He said to him again: "That you should come here!—you, whom one gets only after much pleading and…
  8316. 240O Giri, my Ganesa is the giver of good! By worshipping Ganapati I have won Haimavati; go, O King of the Mountains, go and bring Gauri home. Laying the…
  8317. 241"Now that Chandi has come, many yogis with matted hair will come as well."
  8318. 242The Master was laughing. After a while he said to M., Baburam and the other devotees: "I feel so much like laughing. Just think of it: here I am, sing…
  8319. 243Nilkantha: For all the songs we go about singing, today we have had our reward.
  8320. 244Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "When a man sells something, he throws in an extra handful. You sang over there, and here you have given the extra handful."…
  8321. 1Section Nineteen
  8322. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Dakshineswar
  8323. 3Chapter One
  8324. 4At Dakshineswar with the Vedantavagish, Ishan and Other Devotees
  8325. 5Today is Saturday, the eleventh of October, 1884. The Master is lying on the small cot in the Kali temple garden at Dakshineswar. It is about two o'cl…
  8326. 6M. left the school at one o'clock and reached the Kali temple at Dakshineswar at about two.
  8327. 7Sri Ramakrishna: I went to Jadu Mallick's house. The very first thing he asked was, how much was the carriage fare! When these people said three rupee…
  8328. 8"A broker had come up to him. He said to Jadu, 'There are four kathas of land for sale in Barabazar; will you take it?' Jadu says, 'What is the price?…
  8329. 9"He had been to Adhar's house, so I said to him again, 'You went to Adhar's house, and Adhar was very pleased.' Then he says, 'Eh? Eh? He was pleased?…
  8330. 10"At Jadu's house a Mallick had come! Very cunning and crafty; I could tell from his eyes. Looking him in the eye I said, 'It is not good to be cunning…
  8331. 11Narayan has come; he too is sitting on the floor.
  8332. 12Sri Ramakrishna, to Priyanath: Well, that Hari of yours is a fine boy.
  8333. 13Priyanath: Sir, is he really so very good? Still, he is only a boy—
  8334. 14Narayan: He has called his wife "Mother."
  8335. 15Sri Ramakrishna: "What! I myself can't do it, and he has called her Mother!" To Priyanath: "The thing is, the boy is very calm; his mind is turned to…
  8336. 16"Do you know what Hem once said? To Baburam he said, 'Only God is the one truth, and everything else is false.'" Everyone laughed. "No, really, he sai…
  8337. 17The Woman of Ghoshpara and Her Gopala Bhava towards Haripada; Renunciation from Boyhood, and Women
  8338. 18"A woman of Ghoshpara has got hold of Haripada. She won't let him go. She says she feeds him seated on her lap. She says, if you please, that it is th…
  8339. 19"Do you know? One has to keep very far away from women; only then, perhaps, can one attain God. To go about with women whose intentions are bad, or to…
  8340. 20"One has to be very careful with women. Gopala bhava! Don't listen to such talk. 'Woman has eaten up the three worlds.' Many women, seeing a young lad…
  8341. 21"Those who have the renunciation of boyhood, who from their childhood go about longing for God and never enter the world, are a class apart! They are…
  8342. 22The Way to Master the Senses: the Discipline of the Woman's Attitude
  8343. 23"How can one master the senses? One has to take on the attitude of a woman. For a long time I lived in the attitude of a handmaid. I used to wear wome…
  8344. 24"I cannot call myself a man. One day I was in bhava, and she asked me, 'What am I to you?' I said, 'The Blissful Mother.'
  8345. 25"One school holds that whoever has nipples on the breasts is a woman. Arjuna and Krishna had no nipples. Do you know the meaning of the worship of Siv…
  8346. 26Chapter Two
  8347. 27Spiritual Practice with Women: Sri Ramakrishna Forbids It Again and Again
  8348. 28Sri Ramakrishna had been speaking of the attitude of a woman. With him sat Sri Priya Mukherji, M. and several other devotees. Just then a tutor from t…
  8349. 29Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: On Sri Krishna's head there is a peacock feather, and on the peacock feather there is the mark of the yoni; that is,…
  8350. 30"Krishna went to the circle of the Rasa. But there He Himself became Prakriti. That is why, you see, in the Rasa circle He is dressed as a woman. Unle…
  8351. 31"In the state of perfection it is another matter. After the vision of God there is not much fear; one is largely fearless. Once you manage to climb to…
  8352. 32"The point is this: touch the granny, then do as you please.
  8353. 33The Yoga of Meditation and Sri Ramakrishna: the Inward and the Outward State
  8354. 34"In the outward state one sees the gross. The mind dwells in the sheath of food. Then comes the subtle body, the linga sarira. The mind dwells in the…
  8355. 35"Then the mind merges. The mind is destroyed. It is destroyed in the Great Cause. When the mind is destroyed there is no more news of anything. This i…
  8356. 36"Do you know what the inward state is like? Dayananda said, 'Shut the door and come inside! Not just anyone can go into the inner apartments.'
  8357. 37"I used to take the flame of a lamp and meditate on it. The reddish part I called the gross; inside it the whitish part I called the subtle; and the d…
  8358. 38"There are signs that meditation is going right. One sign is that birds will perch on your head, taking you for something lifeless.
  8359. 39Old Days: The First Sight of Keshab, 1864, Absorbed in Meditation; Meditation Even with the Eyes Open
  8360. 40"I first saw Keshab Sen at the Adi Samaj. A few men were sitting on the platform (the vedi), with Keshab in the middle. I saw him sitting like a log!…
  8361. 41"One can meditate even with the eyes open. A man may be talking, and still be meditating. Suppose, for instance, someone has toothache, and it is thro…
  8362. 42The Tagores' tutor: Sir, that I know very well. There was laughter.
  8363. 43Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes, if one has toothache, one goes about all one's work, but the mind stays on the pain. In the same way one can meditate w…
  8364. 44The tutor: He has the name Saviour of the Fallen; that is our hope. He is all-merciful.
  8365. 45Old Days: Talk with the Sikhs and with Sri Krishnadas
  8366. 46Sri Ramakrishna: The Sikhs too said that He is all-merciful. I said, "How is He all-merciful?" So they said, "Why, Maharaj! He has created us, He has…
  8367. 47The tutor: Sir, with some it happens in a flash, and with some it does not happen at all. What is the meaning of this?
  8368. 48The Renunciation of Lala Babu and Rani Bhavani: Where There Are Past Impressions There Is Sattva
  8369. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know? It comes largely from the impressions of past births. People think it is happening all of a sudden.
  8370. 50"A man drank one glass of wine in the morning, and at that he was wildly drunk and began to reel about! People were astonished: how could he be so dru…
  8371. 51"Hanuman burnt golden Lanka. People were astonished: a monkey came and burnt everything up! But then it is said that the real truth is this: it was bu…
  8372. 52"And look at Lala Babu, with all that wealth: unless he had the impressions of past births, could renunciation have come to him in a flash? And Rani B…
  8373. 53Lala Babu, the glory of the Bengali people, was the late Krishnachandra Sinha of Paikpara. Renunciation in his youth: he gave up an estate with an inc…
  8374. 54Krishnadas's Rajas, and So the Good of the World
  8375. 55"In the last birth there is sattva: the mind turns to God, it yearns for Him, and it draws back from all manner of worldly affairs.
  8376. 56"Krishnadas Pal came here. I saw that he had rajas! Still, he is a Hindu; he left his shoes outside. After talking with him a little I found there was…
  8377. 57Narayan has come. The Master is overjoyed. He makes Narayan sit beside him on the small cot. He begins to caress him, stroking him with his hand. He g…
  8378. 58The Master said to Harish, "I will smoke."
  8379. 59Spiritual Practice with Women: The Master Forbids It Again and Again; the Way of the Ghoshpara Sect
  8380. 60Turning to Narayan again he says, "That adopted mother of Haripada's came here. I have warned Haripada very strongly. They follow the Ghoshpara way. I…
  8381. 61Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "Ah, Nilkantha came the other day, and what bhava! He has said he will come again one day. He will sing for us. There is danci…
  8382. 62Chapter Three
  8383. 63The Yoga of Discerning Purusha and Prakriti: Radha and Krishna, Who Are They? The Primal Sakti
  8384. 64The Vedantavagish, Dayananda Saraswati, Colonel Olcott, Surendra, Narayan
  8385. 65Now Sri Ramakrishna is pacing up and down: sometimes inside the room, sometimes on the verandah on the south side of the room, and sometimes he stands…
  8386. 66Company ("Environment"), Its Harm and Its Good; Pictures, Trees, Children
  8387. 67After a little while he sits down on the small cot again. It is past three o'clock. The devotees come and sit on the floor again. The Master is sittin…
  8388. 68"Whatever company you keep, such your nature becomes. That is why there is harm even in pictures. And again, people seek the company that matches thei…
  8389. 69"When you see trees you are reminded of the forest hermitages where the rishis practise austerities; it awakens the spirit."
  8390. 70A Brahmin of Sinthi came into the room and bowed down before the Master. He had studied Vedanta in Kasi.
  8391. 71Sri Ramakrishna: Well, how are you all? You haven't come for a long time.
  8392. 72The pandit, smiling: Sir, the affairs of the household. And you know how it is: one never finds the time!
  8393. 73The pandit took his seat. The conversation is with him.
  8394. 74Sri Ramakrishna: You lived in Kasi a long time; tell us something of what you saw there. Tell us a little about Dayananda.
  8395. 75The pandit: I met Dayananda. You saw him, did you not?
  8396. 76Sri Ramakrishna: I went to see him; he was staying in a garden over on that side then. Keshab Sen was to come that day, and he began to fret for Kesha…
  8397. 77The pandit: In Kasi there was a great disputation between Dayananda and the pandits. In the end they were all on one side and he on the other. Then th…
  8398. 78Dayananda Saraswati, 1824-1883. The disputation at the Anandabag in Kasi, 1869. His stay in Calcutta, at the Tagores' pleasure garden at Nainan, Decem…
  8399. 79Sri Ramakrishna and Theosophy: Do They Seek God with Longing?
  8400. 80"And I saw Colonel Olcott too. They say there are 'Mahatmas'. And there are the lunar world, the solar world, the stellar world and all that. The subt…
  8401. 81Sri Ramakrishna: Bhakti is the one thing needful: bhakti for God! Do they seek bhakti? Then it is good. If the attainment of God is the aim, then it i…
  8402. 82Saying this the Master began a song of Ramprasad:
  8403. 83O mind, what are you seeking for Him, like a madman in a dark room? He is a thing of feeling; without feeling can one ever hold Him? For that feeling…
  8404. 84"Say scripture, say philosophy, say Vedanta: He is not in any of them. Unless your heart yearns for Him, nothing will come of it.
  8405. 85"The six systems of philosophy cannot see Him, nor the Agamas, the Nigamas, the Tantrasara. He relishes the sweetness of bhakti and dwells in bliss in…
  8406. 86"One must long for Him intensely. Listen to a song:
  8407. 87"Does everyone get to see Radha?
  8408. 88Even the Incarnations Practise Sadhana, to Teach the World; First Sadhana, Then the Vision of God
  8409. 89"Sadhana is very necessary. Does the vision of God come in a flash?
  8410. 90"Someone asked, 'Why is it I can't see God?' Then it came to my mind and I said, 'You want to catch a big fish; make the preparations for it. Put down…
  8411. 91"You want to eat butter. What is the use of saying, 'There is butter in milk, there is butter in milk'? You must work hard, and then the butter comes…
  8412. 92"The Divine Mother Herself sat on the Panchamundi and practised severe austerities, to teach the world. Sri Krishna, the Perfect Brahman Himself, also…
  8413. 93Radha Is the Primal Sakti, or Prakriti; Purusha and Prakriti, Brahman and Sakti, Are One
  8414. 94"Sri Krishna is Purusha, Radha is Prakriti, the Power of Consciousness, the Primal Sakti. Radha is Prakriti, made of the three gunas! In Her are the t…
  8415. 95"This Power of Consciousness and the Brahman of Vedanta (Purusha) are one. It is like water and its power to freeze. When you think of the water's pow…
  8416. 96"Wherever there are name and form, there is the splendour of Prakriti. To Hanuman Sita said, 'My child! It is I who have become Rama in one form and S…
  8417. 97To the pandit: "The company of holy men is good now and then. Disease clings to man. Holy company brings it much relief.
  8418. 98Teaching to the Vedantavagish: Keep Holy Company; I and Mine: No One Is Mine; the Attitude of the Servant
  8419. 99"This alone is true knowledge: 'O God! It is You who do everything, and You alone are my own. And all these houses, family, kinsmen, friends, the whol…
  8420. 100"A guru was explaining this to his disciple: God is your own, and no one else is. The disciple said, 'Sir, my mother and my wife take such care of me;…
  8421. 101"The disciple did just that. He went home, swallowed the few pills and lay there senseless. His mother, his wife, the whole household began to weep an…
  8422. 102"The disciple is hearing it all! The physician called the mother first. The mother, in anguish, was rolling in the dust and weeping. The physician sai…
  8423. 103"So the best thing is to do what will bring bhakti for His lotus feet, so that you love Him as your very own. You have seen the world: it lasts two da…
  8424. 104The Householder Cannot Renounce Everything; Knowledge Cannot Enter the Inner Apartments, Bhakti Can
  8425. 105The pandit, smiling: Sir, whenever I come here, on that day I feel complete renunciation. I want to give up the world and go away.
  8426. 106Sri Ramakrishna: No, why should you give it up? Renounce it in your mind, all of you. Live in the world unattached.
  8427. 107"Surendra brought a bed here and left it, meaning to come and spend the night here now and then. He did come for a night or two, but then his wife tol…
  8428. 108"And see, what is the use of mere reasoning? Long for Him, learn to love Him. Knowledge and reasoning are like a man: they get no further than the out…
  8429. 109"One has to take refuge in some one attitude. Then God is attained. Sanaka and the other rishis held to the peaceful mood. Hanuman held to the attitud…
  8430. 110"'O God! You are Lord, I am servant': this attitude is called the attitude of the servant. For the spiritual aspirant this attitude is very good."
  8431. 111The pandit: Yes, sir.
  8432. 112Chapter Four
  8433. 113Teaching to Ishan: the Yoga of Bhakti and the Yoga of Work; the Signs of Knowledge
  8434. 114The pandit from Sinthi has left. Gradually evening comes on. In the Kali temple the music of the arati in the shrines strikes up. Sri Ramakrishna is b…
  8435. 115An hour of the night has passed. Ishan Mukherji and Kishori have arrived. They bow to the Master and take their seats. Ishan is deeply devoted to pura…
  8436. 116Sri Ramakrishna: Does saying "knowledge, knowledge" make it so? There are signs that knowledge has come. Two signs: first, love, that is, loving God.…
  8437. 117"When the Kundalini Sakti awakens, bhava, bhakti, prema, all these come. This is what is called bhakti yoga.
  8438. 118"Karma yoga is very hard. Karma yoga brings certain powers: occult powers come."
  8439. 119Ishan: I'll go to Hazra Mahasay.
  8440. 120The Master remained silent. A little later Ishan came into the room again, with Hazra. The Master was sitting in silence. After a while Hazra said to…
  8441. 121The Master is sitting in silence. By degrees he is meditating in earnest. Then he is telling his beads. He lays that hand once on the crown of his hea…
  8442. 122Is Sri Ramakrishna meditating on the Primal Sakti in the six centres? Is this the yoga spoken of in the Siva Samhita and other scriptures!
  8443. 123Chapter Five
  8444. 124The Path of Withdrawal: Work Falls Away after the Attainment of God
  8445. 125Teaching to Ishan: Arise, Awake; Karma Yoga Is Very Hard
  8446. 126Ishan has gone with Hazra to the Kali temple. The Master had been meditating. It is about half past seven at night. Meanwhile Adhar has arrived.
  8447. 127After a while the Master went to see Mother Kali. Having seen Her, he took flowers offered at Her lotus feet and placed them on his head; he bowed to…
  8448. 128Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: What, you came that long ago? You are doing your daily devotions. Listen to a song.
  8449. 129Mad with bhava, he sits near Ishan and sings in his sweet voice:
  8450. 130Who cares for Gaya, the Ganges, Prabhasa and the rest, for Kasi or Kanchi, If my breath can give out saying Kali, Kali, Kali? One who says Kali at the…
  8451. 131"How long the evening devotions? Until bhakti comes for His lotus feet, until tears flow from the eyes as one repeats His name, and until the body thr…
  8452. 132Ramprasad says: I have set both bhakti and mukti on my head; Knowing Kali as Brahman, I have given up all dharma and adharma.
  8453. 133"When the fruit comes, the flower drops off. When bhakti comes, when God is attained, then the evening devotions and other rites fall away.
  8454. 134"When the daughter-in-law of a household is with child, her mother-in-law reduces her work. When she is in her tenth month she does not let her do any…
  8455. 135"It won't do for you to go on beating out a slow three-beat time like this. You need intense renunciation. What is the use of making fifteen months of…
  8456. 136"That is why I don't like that song: 'Keep at it with joy, brother; little by little it will come right for you. Little by little it will come right.'…
  8457. 137Sri Ramakrishna and the Truth of Yoga: Woman and Gold the Obstacle to Yoga
  8458. 138"You ask why intense renunciation does not come? There is a reason for it. Desires and cravings are all there within. That is what I tell Hazra. In ou…
  8459. 139"They catch fish with a spring trap. The bamboo would naturally stand straight; then why is it bent? Because it is to catch the fish. Desire is the fi…
  8460. 140"Do you know what it is like? Like the pointers of a balance. Because woman and gold weigh it down, the upper pointer and the lower do not meet. So yo…
  8461. 141"The mind lies scattered: some of it has gone to Dacca, some to Delhi, some to Cooch Behar. That mind has to be gathered up. It has to be gathered int…
  8462. 142Trailokya; the Strength of Faith; Do Work without Desire; Say with Force, "My Mother"
  8463. 143"Well, you live in the world; what if you do? But you must surrender all the fruits of your work to God. You must not desire any fruit for yourself.
  8464. 144"But there is one thing. The desire for bhakti is not counted among desires. You may desire bhakti, pray for bhakti.
  8465. 145"Bring the tamas of bhakti to it. Press the Mother hard:
  8466. 146"Ramprasad says, there will be a great to-do in this lawsuit of mother and son; I shall be at peace, and cease, only when You take me on Your lap.
  8467. 147"Trailokya said, 'Since I was born into their family, I have my share.'
  8468. 148"She is your very own Mother! Is this some adopted mother, some mother by a tie of dharma! If you can't press your claim here, then where can you? Say…
  8469. 149"Mother, am I a child born before my time, to be frightened when You glare at me? This time I'll bring my suit before Srinath, and win the decree at o…
  8470. 150"Your own Mother! Press Her hard! Whatever a thing has its being in, it is drawn towards that. Because the Mother's being is in me, I am drawn so stro…
  8471. 151The Master sings again in that same sweet voice:
  8472. 152Think it over, O mind: no one is anyone's; vain is your wandering in this world. Do not forget Dakshina Kali, caught in the net of maya. For two days…
  8473. 153The Desire to Arbitrate, to Be Headman, to Found Hospitals and Dispensaries; Public Esteem, Learning, Desire: All These Are the First Steps; God Is At…
  8474. 154"And what is all this arbitrating and playing the headman that you do? You settle people's quarrels and disputes—they get hold of you as arbitrator, I…
  8475. 155"Sambhu too said so. He said, 'I will build hospitals and dispensaries.' The man had devotion. So I said, 'When you have seen God face to face, will y…
  8476. 156"Keshab Sen asked why he did not see God. So I told him, 'You are taken up with fame, learning and the like; that is why you don't. As long as the chi…
  8477. 157"You too are playing the headman. The Mother is thinking, 'My son is happy being headman. If he is happy, let him stay so.'"
  8478. 158Meanwhile Ishan has touched the Master's feet and is sitting there. Holding his feet he says humbly, "It is not that I do these things of my own wish.…
  8479. 159The Root of Desire Is Mahamaya; Hence the Rites of Work
  8480. 160Sri Ramakrishna: That I know. It is the Mother's play! It is all Her lila! It is Mahamaya's will to keep men bound in the world! Do you know how it is…
  8481. 161"Haven't you seen the game of tag? The granny wants the game to go on. If everyone touches the granny, the game can't go on. So the granny does not wa…
  8482. 162"And see, in the big shops there are great heaps of rice, piled as high as the roof of the room. There is rice, and there is dal too. But in case the…
  8483. 163Chapter Six
  8484. 164Sri Ramakrishna Gives Up Every Desire; Only the Desire for Bhakti
  8485. 165Sri Ramakrishna: Rama said to Narada, "Ask some boon of me." Narada said, "Rama! What is left for me to ask? What boon shall I take? But if You must g…
  8486. 166"I prayed to the Mother. I said, 'Mother! I don't want honour from men, Mother; I don't want the eight occult powers, Mother! O Mother! I don't want a…
  8487. 167"It is in the Adhyatma Ramayana: Lakshmana asked Rama, 'Rama! You dwell in so many ways and so many forms; how shall I know You?' Rama said, 'Brother!…
  8488. 168The devotees listened in amazement. They had been hearing all these words as if they were a voice from heaven. Someone is thinking: the Master says, "…
  8489. 169The Master's nectar-like words go on! Words on the path of withdrawal. What he had been saying to Ishan in a voice deep as thunder-clouds: that talk g…
  8490. 170Ishan, Beware of Flatterers; Sri Ramakrishna and the Good of the World
  8491. 171Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: Don't be taken in by the talk of flatterers. As soon as they see a worldly man, flatterers come and gather round him!
  8492. 172"If there is one dead cow, all the vultures come down there.
  8493. 173The Teaching for Householders Is the Rites of Work; the Teaching for One Who Renounces All, Only to Think of God's Lotus Feet
  8494. 174"Worldly people have no substance. They are like a basket of cow-dung! The flatterers will come and say, 'You are generous, wise, given to meditation.…
  8495. 175"Worldly people are the slaves of three, so what substance can they have? Slaves of the wife, slaves of money, slaves of the master. I won't name the…
  8496. 176"And what is all this arbitrating and playing the headman? Mercy, doing good to others? You have done plenty of that! Those who will do such things ar…
  8497. 177"'Ravana died in Lanka, and Behula wept herself distraught.'
  8498. 178"That is how it is with you. One who has renounced everything tells you, 'Do this and this, and all will be well!' The advice of worldly people will n…
  8499. 179Ishan, Go Mad: "All This Teaching the Mother Gave"
  8500. 180"Go mad, go mad with love for God! Let people come to know that Ishan is mad now and can't do it any more. Then they won't come to you any more to arb…
  8501. 181Ishan: Make me mad, Mother. No more of this knowledge and reasoning, Mother.
  8502. 182Sri Ramakrishna: Mad, or rather sane? Sivanath once said that if one thinks of God too much one loses one's head. I said, "What! Does anyone become un…
  8503. 183Ishan, having touched the feet of Sri Ramakrishna, sits listening to everything. From time to time he has been looking towards the stone image of Kali…
  8504. 184Ishan, to Sri Ramakrishna: All the things you have said with your own lips have come from there.
  8505. 185Sri Ramakrishna: I am the instrument, She the One who plays it; I am the house, She the mistress of the house; I am the chariot, She the One who drive…
  8506. 186"In the Kaliyuga no other kind of voice from heaven comes. But this there is: through the lips of a child or a madman He speaks.
  8507. 187"Man cannot be guru. All is happening by the will of God. Great sins, sins of long standing, ignorance of long standing: when His grace comes, they fl…
  8508. 188"If light comes into a room that has been dark for a thousand years, does that thousand years' darkness go little by little, or in an instant? Of cour…
  8509. 189"What can man do? Man can tell you many things, but in the end everything is in God's hands. The lawyer says, 'I have said all I had to say; now it is…
  8510. 190"Brahman is inactive. When He creates, preserves and destroys, when He does all these works, then He is called the Primal Sakti. That Primal Sakti has…
  8511. 191Ishan: Yes, sir; at the slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha, Brahma and the gods hymned Her so:
  8512. 192Thou art Svaha, Thou art Svadha, Thou art Vashatkara, the very soul of sound. Thou art the nectar, O Eternal, abiding in the imperishable syllable as…
  8513. 193Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, hold on to that.
  8514. 194You are Svaha, Svadha and Vashatkara, used in the homa, the sraddha and the sacrifice, the very essence of the sound of the mantras; and You are the n…
  8515. 195Chapter Seven
  8516. 196Sri Ramakrishna and the Rites of Work: the Rites Are Hard, Hence the Yoga of Bhakti
  8517. 197Before the Kali temple the devotees are sitting all round Sri Ramakrishna. All this while they had been listening in wonder to the words from his holy…
  8518. 198Now the Master rose. He came to the platform in front of the temple and prostrated himself before the Mother. The devotees all came quickly to him and…
  8519. 199Sri Ramakrishna, singing to M.:
  8520. 200"Prasad says: I have set both bhakti and mukti on my head. Knowing the secret that Kali is Brahman, I have given up all dharma and adharma!
  8521. 201"Do you know what dharma and adharma are? Here dharma means the dharma of scriptural injunction: that one must give alms, perform the sraddha, feed th…
  8522. 202"This dharma is what is called the rites of work. This path is very hard. Work without desire is very hard to do! That is why one is told to take refu…
  8523. 203"A man had a sraddha performed in his house. Many people were eating. A butcher was leading a cow along, to slaughter it. The cow would not be managed…
  8524. 204"So I say, the path of bhakti is better than the rites of work."
  8525. 205The Master is entering his room, with M. The Master is humming a song. What he had been saying of the path of withdrawal is breaking out in it. The Ma…
  8526. 206The Master sat down on the small cot. Adhar, Kishori and the other devotees came and sat down.
  8527. 207Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: I looked at Ishan: why, nothing has happened at all! What do you say? He has done purascharana for five months! Anyo…
  8528. 208Adhar: It was not good to say so much to him in front of us.
  8529. 209Sri Ramakrishna: What! He is a man of japa; what is that to him?
  8530. 210After talking a little longer the Master says to Adhar, "Ishan is very generous. And see, he does a great deal of japa and austerity."
  8531. 211The Master sits silent for some time. The devotees sit on the floor gazing at him.
  8532. 212Suddenly the Master says, turning to Adhar, "You people have both yoga and bhoga."
  8533. 1Section Twenty
  8534. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar on the Great Night of the Kali Puja, in the Joy of Devotional Song, Lost in Samadhi
  8535. 3Chapter One
  8536. 4Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar with the Devotees on the Great Night of the Kali Puja
  8537. 5M., Baburam, Gopal, Haripada, Niranjan's relative, Ramlal, Hazra
  8538. 6Today is the Kali Puja, Saturday, the eighteenth of October, 1884. The worship of Kali will begin at ten or eleven at night. A few devotees mean to ha…
  8539. 7M. arrived alone at about eight in the evening. Coming into the garden, he saw that the great festival had begun in the Kali temple. Lamps were set he…
  8540. 8In the afternoon the songs of the Chandi had been sung: Rajnarayan's songs of the Chandi. The Master, with the devotees, had listened to them in the b…
  8541. 9Arriving at eight in the evening, M. found the Master seated on the small cot. Facing him on the floor sat a few devotees: Baburam, the younger Gopal,…
  8542. 10The young relative of Niranjan's sat meditating before the Master, who had asked him to meditate.
  8543. 11M. bowed and sat down. After a little while Niranjan's relative bowed and took his leave. The second boy, the one from Ariadaha, also bowed and stood…
  8544. 12Sri Ramakrishna, to Niranjan's relative: When are you coming again?
  8545. 13The devotee: On Monday, sir, I think.
  8546. 14Sri Ramakrishna, eagerly: Do you need a lantern? Will you take one with you?
  8547. 15The devotee: No, sir, it is just beside this garden; there is no need.
  8548. 16Sri Ramakrishna, to the boy from Ariadaha: Are you going too?
  8549. 17The boy: Yes, sir, I have a cold—
  8550. 18Sri Ramakrishna: Very well. But you had better cover your head with a cloth as you go.
  8551. 19The two boys bowed once more and left.
  8552. 20Chapter Two
  8553. 21Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar on the Great Night of the Kali Puja, in the Joy of Devotional Song
  8554. 22It was the deep night of the new moon, and the night of the worship of the Mother of the universe besides. Sri Ramakrishna was reclining against a bol…
  8555. 23Suddenly he looked at M. and the devotees and said, "Ah, what meditation that boy had!" To Haripada: "Wasn't it so? What meditation!"
  8556. 24Haripada: Yes, sir, he was just like a log of wood.
  8557. 25Sri Ramakrishna, to Kishori: Do you know the boy? He is related to Niranjan as some sort of brother.
  8558. 26Again everyone was silent. Haripada was massaging the Master's feet.
  8559. 27The Master had heard the songs of the Chandi in the afternoon, and now song was welling up in him. Softly he began to sing:
  8560. 28Who knows what Kali is like? The six systems cannot find Her. The yogi ever meditates on Her in the Muladhara and the Sahasrara. In the lotus wood Kal…
  8561. 29The Master sat up. Today was the Mother's worship; he would chant the Mother's name! Again, with fervour, he sang:
  8562. 30All this is the play of a mad woman, (By whose maya the three worlds are bewildered) (The hussy's secret play, in her own mood) She is mad herself, he…
  8563. 31As he sang, the Master grew drunk with ecstasy. He said, "These are songs in the mood of one who is drunk," and with that he sang:
  8564. 32(1) This time, Kali, I shall eat You up. (2) That is why I ask You, Kali.
  8565. 33(3) O Kali, ever blissful, enchantress of the heart of Mahakala, You dance by Yourself, You sing by Yourself, and You Yourself clap the time, Mother!…
  8566. 34(4) If my life should go as I cry, "Victory to Kali, victory to Kali!" I shall attain Sivahood; what need then of Varanasi? Kali is infinite in form;…
  8567. 35The songs had ended when Rajnarayan's two sons came in and bowed. Rajnarayan had sung the Chandi in the natmandir that afternoon, and the two boys had…
  8568. 36The younger boy said to the Master, "If only that song once— 'O Lord, supremely compassionate'—"
  8569. 37The Master said, "'Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers'?" and with that he sang the song:
  8570. 38Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers, are supremely compassionate, O Lord!
  8571. 39The song ended. Ramlal had come into the room. The Master said, "Sing a little; it is the worship today." Ramlal sang:
  8572. 40(1) Whose is this woman who lights up the battlefield? Her body outshines the rain-filled cloud; lightning flashes from Her teeth. Her curling locks h…
  8573. 41(2) Who is this woman come to the battle, dark as a rain cloud? She floats on a lake of blood like a blue lotus. And so on.
  8574. 42The Master was dancing in the bliss of divine love. Dancing, he struck up a song:
  8575. 43The bee of my mind is lost in the blue lotus of Syama's feet!
  8576. 44The singing and dancing came to an end. The devotees sat down again on the floor, and the Master too sat on the small cot.
  8577. 45He said to M., "You didn't come, and how well the Chandi songs went."
  8578. 46Chapter Three
  8579. 47In Samadhi on the Night of the Kali Puja; a Divine Word about His Own Companions
  8580. 48Some of the devotees went to the Kali temple for darshan of the deity. Others, after the darshan, sat alone on the paved landing on the bank of the Ga…
  8581. 49Ramlal came once to the Mother's shrine with the book called the Pujapaddhati in his hand. He was going to leave the book inside the shrine. Seeing Ma…
  8582. 50The devotees who had gone out came back and gathered again in Sri Ramakrishna's room.
  8583. 51Sri Beni Pal had sent an invitation: tomorrow the Master was to go to the Sinthi Brahmo Samaj. The invitation was for the Master. But the date in the…
  8584. 52Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Beni Pal has invited me. But tell me, why did he write it like this?
  8585. 53M.: It was not written correctly, sir. But he did not give it much thought when he wrote it.
  8586. 54The Master was standing in the room, with Baburam standing near him. He was talking about Beni Pal's letter. He stood with his hand on Baburam. Sudden…
  8587. 55The devotees all stood round him, gazing in wonder at the great soul in samadhi. The Master stood in samadhi with his left foot forward and his neck s…
  8588. 56After a while the samadhi broke. He was still standing. Now he stood with his hand on his cheek, as though deep in thought.
  8589. 57Then, smiling a little, he turned to the devotees and said:
  8590. 58Sri Ramakrishna: I saw everything, how far each one has advanced. Rakhal, this one here (Mani), Surendra, Baburam: I saw many of them!
  8591. 59Hazra: The people who come here?
  8592. 60Sri Ramakrishna: Yes.
  8593. 61Hazra: Is there much bondage?
  8594. 62Sri Ramakrishna: No.
  8595. 63Hazra: Did you see Narendra?
  8596. 64Sri Ramakrishna: I did not see him, but even now I can say: he has got a little entangled. But I saw that it will come right for everyone.
  8597. 65Looking at Mani: "I saw them all, lying low and keeping quiet!"
  8598. 66The devotees listened in wonder to this marvellous news, as though it were a voice from heaven.
  8599. 67Sri Ramakrishna: But it happened from touching this one (Baburam)!
  8600. 68Hazra: Who is first?
  8601. 69Hazra's word "first" is English.
  8602. 70Sri Ramakrishna remained silent. After a while he said, "If only there were a handful like Nityagopal!"
  8603. 71Again he was thinking. He was still standing in the same way.
  8604. 72Then he said again, "Adhar Sen, if his work grew less— But I am afraid his sahib will scold him again. What if he says, 'What is this?'" Everyone smil…
  8605. 73The Master went back and sat on his own seat. The devotees sat down on the floor. Baburam and Kishori hurried to the small cot, sat at the Master's fe…
  8606. 74Sri Ramakrishna, looking at Kishori: What great service today!
  8607. 75Ramlal came, prostrated himself on the ground, and with deep devotion took the dust of the Master's feet. He was going to perform the Mother's worship…
  8608. 76Ramlal, to the Master: Then I'll be going.
  8609. 77Sri Ramakrishna: Om Kali, Om Kali. Do the worship carefully. And there is a ram to be sacrificed too.
  8610. 78It was the great midnight hour. The worship had begun. Sri Ramakrishna came to watch it. He went close to the Mother and gazed at Her. Now the sacrifi…
  8611. 79That was not the Master's state; he could not watch an animal being slain.
  8612. 80Some of the devotees sat in Mother Kali's temple until two in the morning. Then Haripada came to the shrine and said, "Please come; he is calling you.…
  8613. 81Dawn came. The Mother's early-morning arati was over. Facing the Mother is the natmandir, and in the natmandir the yatra was being performed. The Moth…
  8614. 82Sri Ramakrishna: Why should you go now?
  8615. 83Mani: You are going to Sinthi this afternoon, sir, and I should like to go too. So I am going home for a while.
  8616. 84Talking, they came near Mother Kali's temple. Close by was the natmandir, where the yatra was going on. Mani prostrated himself at the foot of the ste…
  8617. 85The Master said, "Very well, go. And bring me two everyday cloths for bathing."
  8618. 1Part One, Section Twelve
  8619. 2A Second Visit to the Sinthi Brahmo Samaj; Teaching to Vijaykrishna and Other Brahmo Devotees, and Joy with Them
  8620. 3Chapter One
  8621. 4Sri Ramakrishna in the "Temple of Samadhi"
  8622. 5Once more the Brahmo devotees gathered at the Sinthi Brahmo Samaj. It was the day after the Kali Puja, the first day of the bright fortnight of the mo…
  8623. 6The house of the Samaj has put on a many-coloured beauty for the festival. Here and there are flags of every colour; here and there, on the roof or at…
  8624. 7He who meditates on the Seer, the Ancient, the Ruler, subtler than the subtle, the Upholder of all, whose form is beyond thought, sun-coloured, beyond…
  8625. 8Taking his seat, Sri Ramakrishna looked at the beautifully made altar of the Samaj and at once bowed his head low in salutation. From the altar the wo…
  8626. 9Sri Trailokya was singing. Sri Ramakrishna said, "Well now, that song of yours is very fine—'Make me mad, Mother.' Sing that one, won't you?" He sang:
  8627. 10A song: Make me mad, O Mother (O Brahmamayi), no more need have I of knowledge and reasoning. Make me drunk with the wine of Your love; O stealer of t…
  8628. 11As he listened to the song, a change came over Sri Ramakrishna. He was lost entirely in samadhi—"setting aside the principle of mahat, leaving the twe…
  8629. 12Chapter Two
  8630. 13In the Course of the Talk on Hari; the Doctrine of the Formless in the Brahmo Samaj
  8631. 14After a little while Sri Ramakrishna comes partly back to himself, and in that state of bhava he is teaching the Brahmo devotees. This divine bhava is…
  8632. 15"I Shall Take Siddhi"; the Gita and the Eight Siddhis; What Is the Attainment of God?
  8633. 16Sri Ramakrishna, in bhava: Mother! I don't want the bliss of wine. I shall take siddhi.
  8634. 17"Siddhi means attaining the Real Thing. Not the siddhi of the 'eight siddhis'. Of those siddhis (anima, laghima and the rest) Krishna said to Arjuna,…
  8635. 18"Then again there are these: the beginner, the striver, the perfect, and the perfect of the perfect. One who has only just set out on the worship of G…
  8636. 19"Believing that there is surely fire in wood is one thing; getting the fire out of the wood, cooking rice and eating it, and finding peace and content…
  8637. 20"There is no saying 'this far and no further' of the divine states. Beyond the highest there is a higher still.
  8638. 21The God of the Worldly; Attaining God through Longing; Be Firm
  8639. 22Sri Ramakrishna, in bhava: These are knowers of Brahman, believers in the formless. That is good.
  8640. 23To the Brahmo devotees: "Hold firmly to one—either to God with form or to the formless. Then God is attained; otherwise He is not. If he is firm, the…
  8641. 24"But you must be firm; you must call on Him with longing. Do you know what the God of the worldly is like? It is like children who hear their aunts qu…
  8642. 25"You must be firm in one. Dive deep. Unless you dive, you cannot find the gems in the sea. Only floating on the water, you will not find them.
  8643. 26Saying this, Sri Ramakrishna sang, in that sweet voice of his, the song with which he used to charm the minds of Keshab and the other devotees. Everyo…
  8644. 27Dive, dive, dive deep in the sea of Beauty, O my mind; search the depths, the nether worlds, and you will find the treasure, the gem of love.
  8645. 28Chapter Three
  8646. 29With the Brahmo Devotees; the Brahmo Samaj and the Description of God's Glories
  8647. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Dive deep. Learn to love God. Be lost in His love. You see, I have heard your worship. But why do you describe God's glories so much…
  8648. 31"Everyone is amazed at the sight of a rich man's garden—what trees, what flowers, what a lake, what a drawing-room, what pictures inside it—they are a…
  8649. 32"But whom am I saying this to? Who believes it?
  8650. 33The Scriptures or Direct Experience (The Law of Revelation)?
  8651. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Can God be found in the scriptures? Reading the scriptures, at most you come to feel that He exists. But unless you dive in yourself,…
  8652. 35"The scriptures, books, these alone—what will they do? Nothing will come without His grace. Strive with longing for that which brings His grace. When…
  8653. 36The Brahmo Samaj and Equality; "The Fault of Partiality in God"
  8654. 37The Sadarwala: Sir, is His grace greater on one person and less on another? Then God would be guilty of partiality.
  8655. 38Sri Ramakrishna: What! Is the horse a "ta" and the clay lid a "ta" too? What you are saying, Iswar Vidyasagar said too. He said, "Sir, has He given mo…
  8656. 39"If there were no difference of power, why would people honour Keshab so much?
  8657. 40"It is in the Gita: one whom many count and honour—whether for learning, or for singing and playing, or for giving lectures, or for anything else—know…
  8658. 41A Brahmo devotee, to the Sadarwala: Why not just accept what he is saying?
  8659. 42Sri Ramakrishna, to the Brahmo devotee: What kind of man are you! To accept a thing without believing it! That is deceit. You are counterfeit glass, I…
  8660. 43The Brahmo devotee was much abashed.
  8661. 44Chapter Four
  8662. 45The Brahmo Samaj, Keshab and the Unattached Life in the World; Renouncing the World
  8663. 46Talk of Earlier Days—Teaching to Keshab—Spiritual Practice in Solitude; the Marks of Knowledge
  8664. 47The Sadarwala: Sir, must one renounce the world?
  8665. 48Sri Ramakrishna: No, why should you have to renounce? It can be done while living in the world. But first you must live in solitude for some days. You…
  8666. 49"I said to Keshab Sen as well, 'Unless you go into solitude, how will a serious illness be cured?' The illness is delirium. And in the very room where…
  8667. 50"Can the delirium be cured like that? You must go somewhere else for a while, where there are no pickles and tamarind and no jar of water. Then, cured…
  8668. 51"You must set the curd in solitude and churn out the butter. Once the butter of knowledge and devotion has been churned out of the milk of the mind, p…
  8669. 52"Living in the world for the sake of attaining God, hold on to God's lotus feet with one hand and work with the other. When you have leisure from work…
  8670. 53The Sadarwala, delighted: "Sir, these are beautiful words. Of course one must practise in solitude! That is what we forget. We think we have become Ki…
  8671. 54Sri Ramakrishna: Why should you have to renounce? Since you must fight in any case, it is better to fight from inside a fort. There is the fight with…
  8672. 55"Why should you renounce? It is easier, if anything, at home. You don't have to worry about your food. You live with your own wife, and in that there…
  8673. 56"Janaka, Vyasa and Vasishtha attained knowledge and lived on in the world. They wielded two swords. One of knowledge, one of work.
  8674. 57The Sadarwala: Sir! How shall I know that knowledge has come?
  8675. 58Sri Ramakrishna: When knowledge comes, He (God) no longer seems far away. One no longer feels that He is "He". Then He is "this One". He is seen withi…
  8676. 59The Sadarwala: Sir! I am a sinner; how am I to say that He is within me?
  8677. 60The Brahmo Samaj, Christianity and the Doctrine of Sin
  8678. 61Sri Ramakrishna: There you go again with your sin and sin! I suppose all this is the Christian view? Someone gave me a book (the Bible). I had a littl…
  8679. 62The Sadarwala: Sir! How does one come to have that faith?
  8680. 63Sri Ramakrishna: Love Him. It is in your own song: "Lord! Without love, though one perform sacrifice and rite, can one know Thee?" For such love, such…
  8681. 64Chapter Five
  8682. 65"Give Him Power of Attorney"; How Long Do a Householder's Duties Last?
  8683. 66Trailokya: Sir, where is the time for these people? They have to work for the English.
  8684. 67Sri Ramakrishna: Very well, give Him power of attorney. If you put a good man in charge, will he do you harm? Give all the charge to Him from your hea…
  8685. 68"The kitten has no calculating cleverness. It only cries, 'Mother, Mother.' If the mother leaves it in the kitchen corner, there it lies. It only mews…
  8686. 69The Sadarwala: We are householders; how long must we go on with these duties?
  8687. 70Sri Ramakrishna: Of course you have duties. To bring up your children. To support your wife, and to provide for her support after you are gone. If you…
  8688. 71The Sadarwala: How long must one bring up one's children?
  8689. 72Sri Ramakrishna: "Till they come of age. When the young bird is grown and can take care of itself, the mother bird pecks it and won't let it come near…
  8690. 73The Sadarwala: What is one's duty to one's wife?
  8691. 74Sri Ramakrishna: While you live, give her religious instruction and support her. If she is chaste, you must provide for her food after you are gone.
  8692. 75"But when a man is mad with knowledge, he has no more duties. Then if you don't think of tomorrow, God thinks of it. If you are mad with knowledge, He…
  8693. 76The Sadarwala: Yes, sir.
  8694. 77Vijay Goswami: Ah! Ah! What words! He who thinks of Him with an undivided mind, he who is mad with His love—God Himself carries his burden. To the min…
  8695. 78Trailokya: Sir, can one really have knowledge in the world? Can one attain God?
  8696. 79Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "Why, my dear, you are in clover yourself." Everyone laughed. "You keep your mind on God and live in the world, don't you?…
  8697. 80The Marks of the Man of Knowledge in the World; the Marks of the Attainment of God; Free while Living
  8698. 81Trailokya: What are the marks that a man in the world has attained knowledge?
  8699. 82Sri Ramakrishna: Tears and thrills at the name of Hari. Hearing His sweet name, the body will thrill and tears will stream from the eyes.
  8700. 83"As long as there is attachment to worldly things, as long as there is love of woman and gold, the body-consciousness does not go. The more attachment…
  8701. 84"The mark of having attained God is this: that person becomes like the dry coconut—the identification of the self with the body goes. He no longer fee…
  8702. 85"Kali's devotee is free while living, full of eternal bliss."
  8703. 86"When you see that tears and thrills come as soon as you take God's name, then know that attachment to woman and gold has gone, and God has been attai…
  8704. 87The Way Is Longing—She Is One's Very Own Mother
  8705. 88Trailokya: What, then, is the way to dry up the juice of worldly things?
  8706. 89Sri Ramakrishna: Call on the Mother with longing! When you see Her, the juice of worldly things will dry up; all attachment to woman and gold will go…
  8707. 90The Sadarwala: Sir! Then is He not compassionate?
  8708. 91Sri Ramakrishna: Why should you say that? I only said it that way; He is our very own. On Him we have a claim. To one's own one can even say, "Won't y…
  8709. 92Chapter Six
  8710. 93Ego and the Sadarwala
  8711. 94Sri Ramakrishna, to the Sadarwala: "Tell me, do pride and ego come from knowledge, or from ignorance? Ego is tamas; it is born of ignorance. Because t…
  8712. 95The Brahmo Samaj and Equality; People Are of Different Natures
  8713. 96"Sattva, rajas and tamas have different natures. The marks of the tamasic are ego, sleep, overeating, lust, anger and the like. The rajasic entangle t…
  8714. 97"And there are so many other classes besides—the ever-perfect, the free, the seekers after freedom, the bound—so many kinds of men. Narada and Sukadev…
  8715. 98"But the bound—the worldly—have no awareness. They lie caught in the net, and yet they don't even know they are caught. If talk of Hari goes on in fro…
  8716. 99The Bound Do Not Take God's Name at the Hour of Death
  8717. 100"The worldly, bound man talks only of worldly things at the hour of death. What good is it to tell beads outwardly, bathe in the Ganges, go on pilgrim…
  8718. 101A Brahmo devotee: Sir, say someone has remembered God at other times but not at the moment of death—must he come back again into this world of pleasur…
  8719. 102Sri Ramakrishna: The jiva thinks of God, but has no faith in God; he forgets again and clings to the world again. It is like this elephant: you bathe…
  8720. 103"There is no faith in God, and so there is so much suffering of karma. People say that while you bathe in the Ganges your sins leave you and sit in th…
  8721. 104A Brahmo devotee: That was well said—very beautifully said!
  8722. 105Sri Ramakrishna: What a jumble I have talked! But do you know my attitude? I am the machine, He the operator; I am the house, He its mistress; I am th…
  8723. 106Chapter Seven
  8724. 107Sri Ramakrishna in the Joy of Sankirtan
  8725. 108Trailokya sang again. The drum and cymbals played with him. Sri Ramakrishna danced, mad with love. As he danced he went into samadhi again and again.…
  8726. 109"Dance, Mother, circling round and round among the devotees; dancing Yourself, make us dance, O Mother; (again I say) once, Mother, dance within my he…
  8727. 110It was a wonderful sight! The dance of that heavenly child, whose life was given to the Mother, drunk with love! The Brahmo devotees danced round him…
  8728. 111When the kirtan was over, everyone took his seat. The evening worship of the Samaj had still not taken place. In this joy of kirtan all the rules had…
  8729. 112Everyone had taken his seat. Sri Ramakrishna too was seated. Vijay was in front of him. When Vijay's mother-in-law and other women devotees sent word…
  8730. 113After a while he came back and said to Vijay, "You see, how devoted your mother-in-law is! She said, 'Don't talk about worldly things; one wave passes…
  8731. 114As they were talking, Sri Benipal came up.
  8732. 115Benipal: Sir, please rise now; it is very late. Please begin the worship.
  8733. 116Vijay: Sir, what need is there of worship any more? Here with you the pudding comes first, and then the dal of the pan and all the rest.
  8734. 117Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: As the devotee is, so he makes his offering. The sattvic devotee offers pudding, the rajasic devotee offers fifty dishes, t…
  8735. 118Vijay is wondering whether to sit at the altar for the worship or not.
  8736. 119Chapter Eight
  8737. 120Teaching to Vijay
  8738. 121Lecturing in the Brahmo Samaj; the Work of an Acharya; God Alone Is the Guru
  8739. 122Vijay: If you will be gracious, then I shall speak from the altar.
  8740. 123Sri Ramakrishna: If the pride goes, that is enough. "I am giving a lecture, you listen"—if that pride isn't there, it is enough. Does ego come from kn…
  8741. 124"As long as there is ego there is no knowledge, nor is there liberation. One has to come back into this world again and again. The calf cries 'hamba,…
  8742. 125"Guru, father and master: these three words prick me like thorns. I am His child, a child for ever; what am I to be called 'father'? God is the doer,…
  8743. 126"If anyone calls me guru, I say, 'Get away, you rascal, what guru?' There is no guru but the one Satchidananda. Without Him there is no way. He alone…
  8744. 127Vijay, humbly: If you will tell me to, then I will go and sit there.
  8745. 128Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: What should I say? Uncle Moon is everybody's uncle. You tell Him yourself. If it is from the heart, there is nothing to fea…
  8746. 129When Vijay pleaded again, Sri Ramakrishna said, "Go; do it as the custom is; if there is heartfelt devotion to Him, that is enough." Vijay took his se…
  8747. 130After the worship the meal for the devotees was being got ready. The carpets and rugs were all taken up and the places were laid, and all the devotees…
  8748. 131Chapter Nine
  8749. 132The Mother; Kali and Brahman: after Full Knowledge, No Difference
  8750. 133After the meal everyone, chewing betel, was getting ready to go home. Before leaving, Sri Ramakrishna sat apart with Vijay and talked with him. M. was…
  8751. 134The Motherhood of God in the Brahmo Samaj
  8752. 135Sri Ramakrishna: You were praying to Him crying "Mother, Mother." That is very good! As the saying goes, the pull of the mother is greater than the fa…
  8753. 136Vijay: If Brahman is the Mother, then is She with form or without form?
  8754. 137Sri Ramakrishna: He who is Brahman is Kali (the Mother, the Primal Power). When He is inactive, we call Him Brahman. When He is at work creating, pres…
  8755. 138"He who is Brahman is Sakti, is the Mother.
  8756. 139"Prasad says: She whom I seek out in the attitude of a mother— must I break the pot in the open market? Understand, O mind, by hints and signs."
  8757. 140"She whom I seek out"—that is, I am seeking out that Brahman. Her I call "Mother, Mother." Again, Ramprasad says the very same thing: "I have known th…
  8758. 141"Unrighteousness means wrong actions. Righteousness means actions laid down by rule—so much must be given in charity, so many Brahmins must be fed; al…
  8759. 142Vijay: When righteousness and unrighteousness are given up, what is left?
  8760. 143Sri Ramakrishna: Pure devotion. I said to the Mother, "Mother! Here is Your righteousness, take it; here is Your unrighteousness, take it; give me pur…
  8761. 144The Brahmo Samaj and the Brahman Taught by the Vedanta; the Primal Power
  8762. 145A Brahmo devotee: What is the difference between Him and His power?
  8763. 146Sri Ramakrishna: After full knowledge, there is no difference. As the light of a gem and the gem are not different. Thinking of the gem's light, one h…
  8764. 147"As long as there is 'I' and 'Thou', as long as there is the awareness 'I am praying' or 'I am meditating', so long there is also the awareness 'You (…
  8765. 148"So, as long as there is 'I', as long as there is the sense of difference, there is no saying that Brahman is without attributes. Till then one must a…
  8766. 149Vijay: By what means can one see this Primal Power and come to that knowledge of Brahman?
  8767. 150Sri Ramakrishna: Pray to Her with a longing heart. And weep! The heart will become pure. In clear water you will see the reflection of the sun. In the…
  8768. 151"As long as one has to see the sun in the water of 'I', and there is no other way of seeing the sun; and as long as there is no way of seeing the real…
  8769. 152"If you want the knowledge of Brahman—hold on to that reflection and go toward the real sun. Tell it to that Brahman with attributes who hears prayers…
  8770. 153"The Mother gives the knowledge of Brahman too! But the pure devotee hardly ever wants the knowledge of Brahman.
  8771. 154"There is another path, jnanayoga, the way of knowledge, and a very hard one. You of the Brahmo Samaj are not men of knowledge but devotees. Those who…
  8772. 155Hatred in the Brahmo Samaj
  8773. 156"He is the Indweller! Pray to Him with a simple mind, a pure mind. He will make you understand everything. Give up ego and take refuge in Him, and you…
  8774. 157A song: Dwell in yourself, O mind; go to no one else's house. Whatever you seek you will find sitting still; search in your own inner chamber. The sup…
  8775. 158"When you mix with people outside, love them all; mix with them till you become as one—hold no more hatred. 'That man believes in God with form, not i…
  8776. 159In Sannyasa One Must Not Hoard; Sri Benipal's Heartfelt Kindness
  8777. 160After ten at night Sri Ramakrishna got into the carriage to return to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. One or two attendant devotees were with him. It…
  8778. 161Benipal: Sir! Ramlal couldn't come; I'd like to send some food for him with these men. Please allow me.
  8779. 162Sri Ramakrishna, in agitation: Oh Babu Benipal! Don't send all that with me! It brings a fault on me. I must not hoard anything and take it with me. P…
  8780. 163Benipal: As you wish, sir. Please give me your blessing.
  8781. 164Sri Ramakrishna: Today there has been great joy. You see, he whose servant money is, is a real man. Those who don't know how to use money are men and…
  8782. 1Section Twenty-One
  8783. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at the Temple of the Marwari Devotees
  8784. 3Chapter One
  8785. 4Sri Ramakrishna at the Temple of the Marwari Devotees in Barabazar
  8786. 5Today the Master is coming to 12 Mallick Street in Barabazar. The Marwari devotees have held the Annakuta festival, and the Master is their invited gu…
  8787. 6At about three in the afternoon M. arrived in Barabazar with Chhota Gopal. The Master had told him to buy some oil-cloths, the plain cloths worn for t…
  8788. 7The Master got down from the carriage. Baburam was with him, and M. went ahead, showing the way. Reaching the Marwaris' house, they found nothing belo…
  8789. 8A Marwari came and began to massage the Master's feet. The Master said, "Let it be, let it be." Then, thinking of something, he said, "All right, do i…
  8790. 9He said to M., "What about your school?"
  8791. 10M.: Sir, it is a holiday.
  8792. 11Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Tomorrow again there is the singing of the Chandi at Adhar's.
  8793. 12The Marwari devotee who was master of the house sent Panditji to the Master. Panditji came, bowed down before the Master and took his seat. Much talk…
  8794. 13Sri Ramakrishna's Desire: the Desire for Bhakti; Bhava, Bhakti and Prema; the Meaning of Prema
  8795. 14The talk turned to the Incarnation.
  8796. 15Sri Ramakrishna: The Incarnation comes for the devotee, not for the jnani.
  8797. 16Panditji: To protect the good and destroy the wicked, To establish righteousness, I am born from age to age.
  8798. 17"The Incarnation comes, first, for the joy of the devotee, and second, to put down the wicked. But the jnani is free of all desire."
  8799. 18Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: But all my desires have not gone. I still have the desire for bhakti.
  8800. 19At this point Panditji's son came in, saluted the Master's feet and took his seat.
  8801. 20Sri Ramakrishna: Well, ji, what is bhava, and what is bhakti?
  8802. 21Panditji: When one thinks of God, the mind's whole bent grows soft; that is called bhava. It is like the ice melting when the sun rises.
  8803. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Well, ji, what is prema?
  8804. 23Panditji kept speaking in Hindi throughout, and the Master too talked with him in the sweetest Hindi. In answer to the Master's question Panditji expl…
  8805. 24Sri Ramakrishna, to Panditji: No, prema does not mean that. Prema means such love of God that one forgets the world, and forgets even one's own body,…
  8806. 25Panditji: Yes, sir, the way it is when a man is drunk.
  8807. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Well, ji, why is it that some have bhakti and some do not?
  8808. 27Panditji: God makes no distinctions. He is the kalpataru, the tree that grants every wish: what each one asks of Him, that one receives. Only, one has…
  8809. 28Panditji said all this in Hindi, and the Master turned to M. and explained the meaning of the words to him.
  8810. 29On Samadhi
  8811. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Well, ji, tell me about all the kinds of samadhi.
  8812. 31Panditji: Samadhi is of two kinds, savikalpa and nirvikalpa. In nirvikalpa samadhi there is no vikalpa any more.
  8813. 32Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, 'taking on the form of That.' The meditator and the object of meditation are no longer different. And there are the conscious sa…
  8814. 33Panditji: Yes, sir!
  8815. 34Sri Ramakrishna: And then, ji, there is the unmana samadhi and the sthita samadhi. What about them, ji?
  8816. 35Panditji kept silent; he said nothing.
  8817. 36Sri Ramakrishna: Well, ji, by japa and austerity one can come by occult powers, can't one? Like walking across the Ganges?
  8818. 37Panditji: Yes, sir, that can happen. But the devotee does not want it.
  8819. 38After some more conversation Panditji said, "On the day of Ekadasi I shall come to Dakshineswar to see you."
  8820. 39Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, your boy is a fine one!
  8821. 40Panditji: What of it, Maharaj? One wave of the river goes and another comes. Everything is impermanent.
  8822. 41Sri Ramakrishna: There is real substance in you.
  8823. 42A little later Panditji bowed and said, "Then let me go and do my worship."
  8824. 43Sri Ramakrishna: "Oh, sit down, sit down!" Panditji sat down again.
  8825. 44The Master brought up the subject of hatha yoga, and Panditji talked with him about it in Hindi. The Master said, "Yes, that too is a kind of austerit…
  8826. 45Panditji took his leave once more. He was going to do his worship.
  8827. 46The Master talked with Panditji's son.
  8828. 47Sri Ramakrishna: If one has read a little Nyaya, Vedanta and philosophy, one understands the Srimad Bhagavata very well. Isn't that so?
  8829. 48The son: Yes, Maharaj! It is very necessary to read the Sankhya philosophy.
  8830. 49Talk of this kind went on now and then.
  8831. 50The Master lay back a little against a bolster. Panditji's son and a few devotees were seated on the floor. Lying there, the Master began to sing:
  8832. 51Brother, cling to Hari with a glad heart; Little by little all will come right for you, Your spoiled affairs will come right. He saved Anka, he saved…
  8833. 52Chapter Two
  8834. 53Is There No Incarnation Now?
  8835. 54The master of the house came and bowed down. He is a Marwari devotee and has great devotion for the Master. Panditji's son was sitting there. The Mast…
  8836. 55M.: Panini, sir?
  8837. 56Sri Ramakrishna: Yes. And are Nyaya, Vedanta and such things studied?
  8838. 57The master of the house paid no heed to all this and asked a question of his own.
  8839. 58The host: Maharaj, what is the way?
  8840. 59Sri Ramakrishna: Chanting His name and His glories. The company of holy men. Praying to Him with a longing heart.
  8841. 60The host: Sir, give me this blessing, that my mind may turn less to worldly life.
  8842. 61Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "How much of it is there? Eight annas' worth?" There was laughter.
  8843. 62The host: Sir, you know that. Unless a great soul is gracious, nothing will come of it.
  8844. 63Sri Ramakrishna: If you please him there, everyone will be pleased. It is He Himself who dwells in the heart of a great soul, after all.
  8845. 64The host: Once a man has found him, there is nothing more to say. If anyone finds him, he gives up everything. When he gets a rupee, he lets go of his…
  8846. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Some spiritual discipline is needed. As one goes on practising, joy comes little by little. Suppose a pot of treasure lies buried dee…
  8847. 66The host: Maharaj, you yourself are Rama.
  8848. 67Sri Ramakrishna: What is this? The wave is the river's own; is the river ever the wave's?
  8849. 68The host: It is in great souls that Rama dwells. Rama Himself cannot be seen. And there is no Incarnation now.
  8850. 69Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: How did you come to know that there is no Incarnation?
  8851. 70The host said nothing.
  8852. 71Sri Ramakrishna: Not everyone can recognize the Incarnation. When Narada went to see Ramachandra, Rama stood up, prostrated himself before him and sai…
  8853. 72The host: You too are that same Rama!
  8854. 73Sri Ramakrishna: Rama! Rama! You must not say such a thing.
  8855. 74With these words the Master joined his palms in salutation and said: "'That same Rama lies in every heart; that same Rama is spread out as the world!'…
  8856. 75The host: Maharaj, but we do not know that—
  8857. 76Sri Ramakrishna: Know it or not, you are Rama.
  8858. 77The host: You have no attachment or aversion.
  8859. 78Sri Ramakrishna: Why say so? That carter who was to come to Calcutta took three annas and went off and never came back. I was very angry with him! He…
  8860. 79Chapter Three
  8861. 80The Worship of the Wearer of the Peacock Crown during the Annakuta Festival in Barabazar
  8862. 81Sri Ramakrishna rested for a while. Meanwhile the Marwari devotees had begun singing bhajans outside on the roof. That day was the great festival of t…
  8863. 82As he looked on the holy image, the Master was overcome with ecstasy. With folded hands he said: "O my life, Govinda, my very life! Victory to Govinda…
  8864. 83Saying these words, the Master went into samadhi as he stood. Sri Ram Chatterji held him.
  8865. 84A long time passed before the samadhi ended.
  8866. 85Meanwhile the Marwari devotees came to carry the image of the Wearer of the Peacock Crown, seated on its throne, outside, where the food offering had…
  8867. 86Sri Ramakrishna's samadhi had passed. In great joy the Marwari devotees carried the image on its throne out of the room, and the Master went along wit…
  8868. 87Now the Brahmins were being fed. All this took place on that same roof, before the Master's eyes. The Marwaris begged Sri Ramakrishna to eat. The Mast…
  8869. 88From Barabazar onto the Main Road, amid the Sights of Diwali
  8870. 89The Master took his leave. Dusk had fallen, and again the street was very crowded. The Master said, "Let us get down from the carriage; let it go roun…
  8871. 90The carriage came round and drew near, and the Master got into it again. Inside with him were Baburam, M. and Ram Chatterji. Chhota Gopal took his sea…
  8872. 91A beggar woman with a child in her arms came up to the carriage and asked for alms. When the Master saw her, he said to M., "Well, have you got any pi…
  8873. 92The carriage went on through Barabazar. The Diwali festivities were at their height. The night was dark, yet everything blazed with lights. From the l…
  8874. 93"Push On!": Sri Ramakrishna May Lay Nothing By
  8875. 94The devotees began to laugh; they understood that the Master was saying, "Push on towards God; don't rest content with the state you are in now." The…
  8876. 95M.: Then, sir, shall I take one back?
  8877. 96Sri Ramakrishna: Well, let it be for now; take both of them back.
  8878. 97M.: As you wish, sir.
  8879. 98Sri Ramakrishna: When they are needed again, you can bring them. You see, yesterday Beni Pal came to put some food in the carriage for Ramlal. I said,…
  8880. 99M.: Yes, sir, that's no matter. I'll take these two white ones back now.
  8881. 100Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: It isn't good for you if something weighs on my mind. After all, this is among our own; when they're needed, I'll tell you.
  8882. 101M., humbly: As you wish, sir.
  8883. 102The carriage came up to a shop where hookah bowls were being sold. Sri Ramakrishna said to Ram Chatterji, "Ram, why not buy a bowl for a pice?"
  8884. 103The Master spoke about a certain devotee.
  8885. 104Sri Ramakrishna: "I told him, 'Tomorrow I'm going to Barabazar; you come too.' And do you know what he said? 'Then there will be four pice for the tra…
  8886. 105At that time the tram fare was one anna.
  8887. 106The talk came back to the Marwari devotees' Annakuta.
  8888. 107Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: What you saw here is just what happens in Vrindavan too. Rakhal and the others are watching all this in Vrindavan. B…
  8889. 108Sri Rakhal was still in Vrindavan then, in October.
  8890. 109Hinduism Is the Eternal Religion
  8891. 110"But did you see the devotion of those up-country people? That is the true Hindu spirit. This is the Eternal Religion. You saw how joyful they were as…
  8892. 111"It is Hinduism that is the Eternal Religion! All these religions you see nowadays will come and go by His will alone—they will not last, will they? S…
  8893. 112M. was to return home. He saluted the Master's feet and got down near Sobhabazar. The Master went on in the carriage, full of joy.
  8894. 1Part One, Section Thirteen
  8895. 2Chapter One
  8896. 3At Dakshineswar with Manomohan, Mahima and Other Devotees
  8897. 4Come, brother, let us go and see him once more. Let us see that great soul, that child, who knows nothing but the Mother, who has taken a body and com…
  8898. 5'Abode of endless virtues, of gracious form, at the hearing of whose words the eyes flow with tears.
  8899. 6Come, brother, let us see Sri Ramakrishna, the ocean of grace that asks no reason, lovely to look upon, mad night and day with the love of God, his fa…
  8900. 7Today is Sunday, the twenty-sixth of October, 1884. It is the season of Hemanta, the seventh day of the bright fortnight of Kartik. It is midday. The…
  8901. 8Many of the devotees are present. Today is a market-place of joy. The love of God of the Master Sri Ramakrishna, who is all joy, was mirrored in the m…
  8902. 9Why do the priests of the temple, the gatekeepers, the servants, all seem one's dearest kin—why is this place as sweet as one's birthplace seen after…
  8903. 10Sri Manomohan, Sri Mahimacharan and M. were there. Then came Ishan, Hriday and Hazra. Besides these there were many devotees. Balaram and Rakhal were…
  8904. 11The devotees are sitting in the room. The Master Sri Ramakrishna is standing like a child, thinking of something. The devotees are looking at him.
  8905. 12The Unmanifest and the Manifest, The Undifferentiated and the Differentiated.
  8906. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to Manomohan: I see everything full of Rama! All of you sitting here: I see that it is Rama Himself who has become each one of you.
  8907. 14Manomohan: Rama has become everything; but as you say, 'The waters are Narayana,' water is Narayana, and yet one water may be drunk, in another one ma…
  8908. 15Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, but I see that He alone is everything. He has become the jivas and the world." As he was saying this, the Master sat down on hi…
  8909. 16Sri Ramakrishna's Firm Hold on Truth, and His Laying Up Nothing
  8910. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahimacharan: Tell me, because I must speak the truth, have I got a mania for purity! If I happen to say I won't eat, then even wh…
  8911. 18"And then I can't bring anything along with me. Betel, food—I can't bring anything along with me. For then it would be laying up, wouldn't it? I can't…
  8912. 19Just then a man came and said: Sir, Hriday has come to Jadu Mallick's garden; he is standing by the gate and wants to see you. Sri Ramakrishna said to…
  8913. 20Hriday Mukhopadhyay was by relation the Master's nephew. His house was at Sihore, near Kamarpukur, the Master's birthplace. For nearly twenty years he…
  8914. 21The garden path is of red brick-dust. Along that path the Master is going eastward. The treasurer, standing on the path, bows down to the Master. On t…
  8915. 22Chapter Two
  8916. 23The Servant Close By. Hriday Standing
  8917. 24Hriday is standing with folded hands. As soon as he sees the Master he falls full length like a stick on the road. The Master tells him to rise. Hrida…
  8918. 25How wonderful! The Master Sri Ramakrishna is weeping too! A few drops of water showed at the corners of his eyes! He wiped the tears away with his han…
  8919. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Why have you come now?
  8920. 27Hriday, weeping: I've come to see you. Who else is there to tell my sorrow to?
  8921. 28Sri Ramakrishna, to console him, smiling: "There is sorrow like this in the world. Once you set out to live in the world there is happiness and sorrow…
  8922. 29Hriday, weeping: To be parted from your company, that is my sorrow?
  8923. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Why, you yourself said, 'Keep your bhava to yourself, I'll keep mine to myself.'
  8924. 31Hriday: Yes, I did say that—what did I know?
  8925. 32Sri Ramakrishna: Go now for today; another day we'll sit and talk then. Today is Sunday, a great many people have come and they are sitting waiting. H…
  8926. 33Hriday: Yes, it hasn't been too bad, after a fashion.
  8927. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Go now for today, and come again another day.
  8928. 35Hriday again prostrated himself full length and bowed down. The Master began to come back by the same path. M. was with him.
  8929. 36Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: As much as he served me, just so much did he torment me. When I had been worn down to two sticks of bone by my stomach trouble…
  8930. 37M. is amazed to hear it. Perhaps he is thinking, "How wonderful! Was he shedding tears for such a man?"
  8931. 38Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Well, he served me so much—then why has it gone like this with him? He looked after me as one brings up a child. I used to be…
  8932. 39What could M. say? He remained silent. Perhaps he was thinking that Hriday had not served the Master without desire for reward.
  8933. 40Talking on the way, the Master reached his own room. The devotees were waiting. The Master sat down again on his small bed.
  8934. 41Chapter Three
  8935. 42With the Devotees, on Many Matters. The Hidden Truth of Bhava and Mahabhava
  8936. 43Besides Sri Mahimacharan and the others, a few devotees from Konnagar had come. One of them had argued for a while with Sri Ramakrishna.
  8937. 44A devotee from Konnagar: Sir! We have heard that you go into bhava, into samadhi. Why does it happen, how does it happen? Explain it to us.
  8938. 45Sri Ramakrishna: Srimati used to go into mahabhava; if one of her friends went to touch her, another friend would say, "Don't touch the body where Kri…
  8939. 46"One cannot stay in bhava for long. If you sit by a mirror and do nothing but look at your face, people will think you mad.
  8940. 47A devotee from Konnagar: We have heard, sir, that you see God; then show Him to us.
  8941. 48Without Work or Spiritual Practice God Is Not Seen
  8942. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Everything is in God's hands—what can a man do? As one goes on repeating His name, sometimes the tears flow, sometimes they don't. In…
  8943. 50"Work is needed; then comes the vision. One day, in bhava, I saw the Haldarpukur. I saw a man of low caste pushing aside the moss and taking water, an…
  8944. 51The Master Sri Ramakrishna's home is in the village of Kamarpukur, in the district of Hooghly. In front of that house is the Haldarpukur, a large pond…
  8945. 52"If you want butter, you must set the milk to curd. Then you must leave it in a quiet place. Then, when the curd has set, you must churn it with labou…
  8946. 53Mahimacharan: Yes, sir, work is needed, of course. One has to toil hard, then comes the gain. How much there is just to read! The scriptures are endle…
  8947. 54Learning First (Knowledge and Reasoning)—or the Attainment of God First?
  8948. 55Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: How much scripture will you read? What will come of reasoning alone? First try to attain Him; have faith in the guru's wor…
  8949. 56"What will you know by reading books? Until one reaches the market, from far off there is only a roar of sound. Once you reach the market it is anothe…
  8950. 57"From far off the ocean makes a roaring sound. Go near, and you will see how many ships are passing, birds flying, waves rising.
  8951. 58"Reading books does not give the real feeling. There is a great difference. After one has seen Him, books, scriptures, science (Science), all seem lik…
  8952. 59"What is needed is to become acquainted with the master of the house. Why be in such a hurry to learn first how many houses he has, how many gardens,…
  8953. 60"Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and all other things shall be added unto you."
  8954. 61A devotee: "Now, how does one get acquainted with the master?" There was laughter.
  8955. 62Sri Ramakrishna: That is why work is needed. It won't do to sit back saying, God exists. Somehow or other you must go to Him. Call on Him in solitude,…
  8956. 63"What will come of only sitting back and saying that He 'exists'? There are big fish in the Haldarpukur. Can you get the fish by just sitting on the b…
  8957. 64"Set the milk to curd and churn it, and then you will get butter." He turned to Mahima. "Here's a fine nuisance. God is to be shown to him, and he wil…
  8958. 65"A man wants to see the king. The king is beyond seven gateways. Before he has even passed the first gateway he says, 'Where is the king?' Things are…
  8959. 66Longing, the Way to Attain God
  8960. 67Mahimacharan: By what work may He be attained?
  8961. 68Sri Ramakrishna: It is not that He will be attained by this work and not by that. It depends on His grace. But one must go on doing some work with lon…
  8962. 69"There must be a favourable chance. The company of holy men, discrimination, finding a true guru; perhaps an elder brother takes on the burden of the…
  8963. 70"In a certain man's house someone was very ill—at death's door. Someone said: Rain will fall under the star Swati; the rain water will lie in a dead m…
  8964. 71"He was thinking with longing. Just then he saw a venomous snake coming. Then the man was overjoyed; he became so restless that his heart began to pou…
  8965. 72"That is why I say, where there is longing, everything comes to pass.
  8966. 73Chapter Four
  8967. 74Sannyasa and the Householder's Life. Attaining God and Renunciation. Who Is a True Sannyasi?
  8968. 75Sri Ramakrishna: "Unless everything is renounced in the mind, God is not attained. A holy man cannot lay up. 'The bird and the dervish' do not lay up.…
  8969. 76Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: You are householders; you keep this as well, and that as well. You keep the world, and you keep religion too.
  8970. 77Mahima: Does 'this' remain any longer?
  8971. 78Sri Ramakrishna: "By the Ganges near the Panchavati, reasoning 'money is earth, earth is money, money is earth,' I threw the money into the water of t…
  8972. 79"When woman and gold are renounced in the mind, the mind goes to God; the mind goes and clings to Him. He who is bound can become free. To turn away f…
  8973. 80"Why does a child cry when it is born? 'I was in the womb, I was in yoga.' When it is born it cries, saying this: 'Where is this, where is this? Where…
  8974. 81"For you it is renunciation in the mind; live in the world unattached."
  8975. 82Is It Necessary to Renounce the World?
  8976. 83Mahima: When the mind has gone to Him, does the world remain any longer?
  8977. 84Sri Ramakrishna: What do you mean? If you don't stay in the world, where will you go? I find that wherever I am, I am in Rama's Ayodhya. This world is…
  8978. 85"In the world one has to fight with lust, anger and the rest, one has to fight with many desires, one has to fight with attachment. It is an advantage…
  8979. 86"And live in the world like a used leaf-plate in a storm. The storm carries the used leaf sometimes into the house, sometimes onto the rubbish heap. W…
  8980. 87Self-Surrender in the World (Resignation); Rama's Will
  8981. 88"He has kept you in the world—what will you do, then? Surrender everything to Him—surrender yourself to Him. Then there will be no more trouble. Then…
  8982. 89A devotee: What is the story of 'Rama's will'?
  8983. 90Sri Ramakrishna: There was a weaver in a certain village, a very devout man. Everyone trusted him and loved him. The weaver would go to the market and…
  8984. 91Being short of a porter, they came to the weaver and said, 'Come with us.' So saying, they took him by the hand and dragged him along. Then they went…
  8985. 92'The weaver said, "Your Honour! By Rama's will I ate my rice at night. Then, by Rama's will, I was sitting in the Chandimandap; by Rama's will it grew…
  8986. 93"Seeing so devout a man, the sahib gave orders for the weaver to be let go. On the road the weaver said to his friends: By Rama's will they have let m…
  8987. 94"If not that, what else is he to do?
  8988. 95"A clerk went to jail. When his term was over he came out. Now that he is out of jail, is he to do nothing but jump and caper about? Or will he go bac…
  8989. 96"If a householder becomes free while living, he can stay in the world without any trouble if he likes. For one who has attained knowledge there is no…
  8990. 97An Earlier Story: Talk with Keshab Sen; Free While Living in the World
  8991. 98"When I first saw Keshab Sen, in the garden, I said, 'This one's tail has dropped off.' The whole gathering burst out laughing. Keshab said: Don't lau…
  8992. 99Chapter Five
  8993. 100On the Householder's Life; The World Lived Unattached
  8994. 101Sri Mahimacharan and the other devotees are seated, drinking in the nectar of Sri Ramakrishna's talk of Hari. His words are like gems and jewels of ma…
  8995. 102Today, hearing the Master's talk with Mahimacharan, a devotee is thinking: "The Master did not tell us to give up the world. Rather he says the world…
  8996. 103So the devotees are thinking. After speaking of Keshab, Sri Ramakrishna goes on to speak of one or two other householder devotees.
  8997. 104Sri Devendranath Tagore; Yoga and Bhoga
  8998. 105Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahimacharan and the others: Then I went with Sejo Babu to see Devendra Tagore. I said to Sejo Babu, "I hear Devendra Tagore think…
  8999. 106Sejo Babu was Sri Mathuranath Biswas, the son-in-law of Rani Rasmani. From the very first he had the deepest devotion to the Master and served him lik…
  9000. 107"When I first went I saw a little pride in him. Wouldn't there be? So much wealth, learning, fame, standing! Seeing the pride, I said to Sejo Babu, 'T…
  9001. 108"While I was talking with Devendra, that state of mine suddenly came on. When that state comes I can see what kind of man each one is. From inside me…
  9002. 109"I saw that he had both yoga and bhoga: many children, little ones; a doctor had come; so there it was: for all his great knowledge he must always be…
  9003. 110"Then he recited some passages from the Vedas. He said: This world is like a chandelier, and each jiva is one of its lamps. I had seen exactly that, h…
  9004. 111'Uncivilised' at the Brahmo Samaj; the Captain, a Devout Householder
  9005. 112"After much talk Devendra was pleased and said: You must come to our festival, the Brahmo festival. I said: That is as God wills. You see this state o…
  9006. 113"The very next day a letter came from Devendra to Sejo Babu, forbidding me to come and see the festival. He said it would be uncivilised: I would have…
  9007. 114Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: There is another one: the Captain. He is a householder, true, but a great devotee. Do make his acquaintance.
  9008. 115The Captain was Sri Viswanath Upadhyaya, a native of Nepal, the agent of the King of Nepal, his representative, who lived in Calcutta. He was a brahmi…
  9009. 116"The Captain has the Vedas, the Vedanta, the Srimad Bhagavata, the Gita, the Adhyatma, all by heart. Talk with him and see.
  9010. 117"Great devotion! When I am walking along the road at Baranagore, he holds an umbrella over me. He takes me to his house, and how much care he gives! H…
  9011. 118"The Captain has many expenses. His brothers live in Kasi, and he has to provide for them. His wife used to be miserly; now she is so harassed that sh…
  9012. 119"The Captain's wife told me that he does not care for the world. So at one time he had said: I will give up the world. Now and then he used to keep sa…
  9013. 120"His whole family are devotees. His father used to go to war. I have heard that in battle he would be worshipping Siva with one hand while the other f…
  9014. 121"The man is very strict about ritual. Because I used to go to Keshab Sen, he did not come here for a month. He said Keshab Sen had fallen from right c…
  9015. 122But he has great devotion. When he worships, he waves the camphor light. And as he worships he sits on his seat and chants hymns. Then he is another m…
  9016. 123Chapter Six
  9017. 124In the Reasoning of Vedanta; Maya-vada and Sri Ramakrishna
  9018. 125Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahimacharan: In the reasoning of Vedanta the world is full of maya, like a dream; all is unreal. He who is the Paramatman is the…
  9019. 126"In a certain country there lives a farmer. A man of great knowledge. He tills his land; he has a wife, and after many years they have had a son; his…
  9020. 127"The farmer was a jnani, and so he saw that as the dream state is unreal, so the waking state is unreal too; there is only one eternal Reality, the At…
  9021. 128"I accept everything. The Turiya, and waking, dream and deep sleep as well. I accept all three states. Brahman, and maya, the jiva and the world too:…
  9022. 129A devotee: "Why does the weight come short?" Everyone laughed.
  9023. 130Sri Ramakrishna: Brahman is qualified by the jiva and the world. At first, when one is doing "neti, neti," one has to leave aside the jiva and the wor…
  9024. 131If you speak of the essence of a bel fruit, you mean the pulp, and then the seeds and the shell must be thrown away. But if you are asked how much the…
  9025. 132"That is why I accept both Nitya and Lila. I do not blow away the universe calling it maya. Then the weight would come short.
  9026. 133Maya-vada and Visishtadvaita; Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga
  9027. 134Mahimacharan: That is a fine harmony: the Lila from the Nitya, and again the Nitya from the Lila.
  9028. 135Sri Ramakrishna: "The jnanis see everything as a dream. The bhaktas accept every state. The jnani gives his milk in thin little squirts." Everyone lau…
  9029. 136The best devotee—He who sees Me everywhere and sees all in Me, I am not lost to him, nor is he lost to Me.
  9030. 137Mahima: "But the milk has a slight smell." There was laughter.
  9031. 138Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "So it does, but it has to be boiled a little. You have to boil it over the fire a little. The milk has to be set for a whil…
  9032. 139Om, and the Union of Nitya and Lila
  9033. 140Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: All you people say in explaining Om is, "A, U, M."
  9034. 141Mahimacharan: A, U and M; that is to say, creation, preservation and dissolution.
  9035. 142Sri Ramakrishna: The comparison I give is the tong of a bell: "ta-a-a-m-m." Merging from the Lila into the Nitya; from the gross, the subtle and the c…
  9036. 143"Holding on to the Nitya, the Lila," and so on: From the Absolute to the Relative, from the Infinite to the Finite, from the Undifferentiated to the D…
  9037. 144Mahima: Those who have seen have not written the scriptures. They are lost in their own bhava; when would they write! To write at all needs a little o…
  9038. 145How Long Attachment to the World Lasts: Until the Bliss of Brahman
  9039. 146Sri Ramakrishna: Worldly people say: Why does attachment to woman and gold not go? It goes when one attains Him. If a man once gets the bliss of Brahm…
  9040. 147Even the taste for them turns away, once the Supreme is seen.
  9041. 148Once the moth has seen the light, it goes no more into the dark.
  9042. 149"Someone said to Ravana: For Sita's sake you take on all sorts of forms by your magic; why don't you once take the form of Rama and go to Sita? Ravana…
  9043. 150As Devotion Grows, Attachment to the World Lessens; Chaitanya's Devotees Unattached
  9044. 151"That is what spiritual practice and worship are for. The more you think of Him, the more your attachment to the petty things of worldly enjoyment wil…
  9045. 152The Hidden Secret of the Jnani and the Bhakta
  9046. 153Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: To one who is a true bhakta you may reason out Vedanta a thousand times and say "it is like a dream," but his devotion wil…
  9047. 154One born of a portion of Siva becomes a jnani; his mind always goes toward this conviction: Brahman is real, the world unreal. One born of a portion o…
  9048. 155Chapter Seven
  9049. 156Service of One's Mother and Sri Ramakrishna; Hazra Mahashay
  9050. 157His birthplace was the village of Maragore, near Kamarpukur, the birthplace of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. Lately, in the month of Chaitra of the year 130…
  9051. 158Hazra Mahashay sits on the east verandah of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna's room and repeats the name. He must be forty-six or forty-seven. He is from the Ma…
  9052. 159News has come that Hazra Mahashay's mother is ill. When Ramlal was leaving the village she took his hand and begged him earnestly, "Tell your uncle ho…
  9053. 160When the gathering of devotees had broken up, Mahimacharan came to the Master, bringing Hazra with him. M. is there too.
  9054. 161Mahimacharan, to Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Sir! I have a petition to put before you! Why have you told Hazra to go home? He has no wish to go back int…
  9055. 162Sri Ramakrishna: His mother poured out her grief to Ramlal; so I said: Go for three days, if need be; go and let her see you once. Can one practise fo…
  9056. 163Mahimacharan, smiling: Sir, that is, if one has knowledge!
  9057. 164Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Hazra has got everything; only his mind is a little on the world—his children are there, and there is some money owing. Aun…
  9058. 165Mahima: Where has he got knowledge, sir?
  9059. 166Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "No—now, you don't know. Everybody says that Hazra is quite a man, living at Rasmani's temple. It's Hazra's name they speak…
  9060. 167Hazra: You are nirupama—there is nothing to compare you with; that is why no one can understand you.
  9061. 168Sri Ramakrishna: Well then, nothing can be done with one who is beyond compare; so why should anyone speak of the one here?
  9062. 169Mahima: Sir! What does he know? He will do whatever you teach him.
  9063. 170Sri Ramakrishna: Why, ask him yourself instead. He has said to me: I have no dealings with you.
  9064. 171Mahima: He argues terribly.
  9065. 172Sri Ramakrishna: "Now and then he goes so far as to teach me." Everyone laughed. "When he argues, I may end up abusing him. After the argument I may h…
  9066. 173Vedanta and the Pure Atman
  9067. 174Sri Ramakrishna, to Hazra: Why do you call the Pure Atman God? The Pure Atman is actionless, the witness of the three states. When the work of creatio…
  9068. 175Chapter Eight
  9069. 176Evening Songs and Talk with Ishan
  9070. 177Evening is close at hand. The Master is walking up and down. Seeing Mani sitting alone, lost in thought, the Master suddenly turns to him and says ten…
  9071. 178Dusk has fallen. Incense has been burnt in Sri Ramakrishna's room. He bows to the deities, repeats the seed mantra and sings the names of God. Outside…
  9072. 179Outside, the world, flooded with moonlight, is smiling; within the room Sri Ramakrishna sits in the bliss of love for Hari. Ishan has come from Calcut…
  9073. 180God Is Attained by Faith. The Teaching of Karma Yoga to Ishan.
  9074. 181Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: "You have great faith—but we haven't so much." Everyone laughed. "It is by faith that He is attained."
  9075. 182Ishan: Yes, sir.
  9076. 183Sri Ramakrishna: You are doing all these works: japa, the daily rites, fasting, purascharana. That is good. One who has a heartfelt pull towards God,…
  9077. 184Vaidhi Bhakti and Raga Bhakti: When Are Works Given Up?
  9078. 185"The scriptures have told us to do many works—so I am doing them: devotion of this kind is called vaidhi bhakti. There is another kind, raga bhakti. T…
  9079. 186Chapter Nine
  9080. 187In the Heart of the Servant
  9081. 188Before dusk Mani is walking and thinking: "Rama's will—what a fine word this is! By it all these quarrels, Predestination and Free will, Liberty and N…
  9082. 189"But if He has done everything, then the Sense of responsibility goes. Why should it go? Without knowing God, without His vision, this 'Rama's will' w…
  9083. 190"The more I think of the Master's bhakti, the more I wonder. Keshab Sen chants the name of Hari and thinks of God—at once the Master ran to see him, a…
  9084. 191"The Master does not say this world is like a dream. He says, 'Then it falls short in the weighing.' It is not mayavada. It is visishtadvaitavada. For…
  9085. 192"I heard that this whole universe is appearing in the great Chidakasha and in time dissolving again—waves rise in the great ocean and in time dissolve…
  9086. 1Section Ten
  9087. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Temple at Dakshineswar
  9088. 3Chapter One
  9089. 4A Sannyasi Must Not Lay Up Stores; the Master, "His Inmost Self Gone into Me"
  9090. 5Sri Ramakrishna is at the Kali temple in Dakshineswar. He is sitting in his own room on the small bedstead, facing east. The devotees are sitting on t…
  9091. 6It was close on midday. M. arrived and saw that the devotees were coming in one by one. A few Brahmo devotees had come with Sri Vijaykrishna Goswami.…
  9092. 7Winter was setting in. The Master had needed a shirt and had asked M. to bring him some. Besides the longcloth shirts, M. had brought one of jean clot…
  9093. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Better you take one back with you. You wear it yourself. There's no harm in that. Well, what kind of shirt did I tell you to b…
  9094. 9M.: Sir, you spoke of plain, simple shirts; you didn't ask for a jean one.
  9095. 10Sri Ramakrishna: Then take the jean one back.
  9096. 11Turning to Vijay and the others: "Look, Dwarika Babu offered me broadcloth. And then the up-country folk brought some too. I didn't take it—" The Mast…
  9097. 12Vijay: Indeed, sir, of course! What is needed one has to take, that's the way of it. Someone has to give, after all. Who else will give, if not people…
  9098. 13Sri Ramakrishna: The giver is God Himself! A mother-in-law said, "Ah, my dear daughter-in-law, everyone has someone to serve them; how nice it would b…
  9099. 14"A fakir once went to Akbar Shah to get some money. The emperor was at his prayers just then, saying, 'O God! Give me riches, give me wealth.' At that…
  9100. 15Vijay: At Gaya I saw a sadhu who made no effort of his own. One day he wished to feed the devotees. And what do I see but flour and ghee arriving from…
  9101. 16Laying Up Stores, and the Three Kinds of Holy Men
  9102. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to Vijay and the others: "Holy men are of three kinds: the best, the middling and the lowest. The best are those who make no effort f…
  9103. 18"The holy man of the best kind lives like the python. He gets his food sitting where he is. The python does not stir. A young sadhu, a celibate from b…
  9104. 19Some of the devotees were thinking, "Then we too may as well make no effort."
  9105. 20Sri Ramakrishna: Whoever has it in his mind that effort is needed must make the effort.
  9106. 21Vijay: There's a fine story in the Bhaktamala.
  9107. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Why don't you tell it?
  9108. 23Vijay: No, you tell it, sir.
  9109. 24Sri Ramakrishna: No, you tell it! I don't remember so much. At the start one has to listen to these things. So in the early days I used to hear all th…
  9110. 25The Master's State; Thinking of Rama Alone; the Signs of Full Knowledge and of Prema
  9111. 26Sri Ramakrishna: That isn't my state now. Hanuman said, "I know nothing of lunar days and stars; I think of Rama alone."
  9112. 27"The chataka bird wants only the clear rain-water. Its life may be going out of it with thirst, still it lifts its head high and wants to drink the wa…
  9113. 28"Rama and Lakshmana had gone to Lake Pampa. Lakshmana saw a crow going again and again to drink the water in great longing, yet never drinking. Lakshm…
  9114. 29Smiling: "Yes, really! I had heard that when one mixes up the new moon and the full moon, then comes full knowledge. Why should Haladhari believe that…
  9115. 30While the Master was saying this, Mahimacharan arrived.
  9116. 31Sri Ramakrishna, with great respect: Come in, come in! Please sit down!
  9117. 32To Vijay and the other devotees: "In this state 'such and such a day' doesn't stay in the mind. The other day there was a festival at Beni Pal's garde…
  9118. 33Where Are Sri Ramakrishna's Mind and Life? The Attainment of God, and Kindling
  9119. 34"When the whole of one's mind, all sixteen annas of it, has gone to God, this is the state. Rama asked, 'Hanuman, you have brought word of Sita; tell…
  9120. 35"Whatever one thinks of, one comes to have its being. Think of God day and night, and the being of God is attained. The salt doll went to measure the…
  9121. 36"What is the purpose of books or scriptures? To attain God. Someone opened a sadhu's book and looked: on every page only the name 'Rama' was written.…
  9122. 37"When love of God comes, the least thing kindles it. Then to say the name of Rama once bears the fruit of ten million sandhyas.
  9123. 38"When the peacock sees a cloud it is kindled; it spreads its tail in joy and dances. It was the same with Srimati. The moment she saw a cloud, Krishna…
  9124. 39"Chaitanyadeva was passing near Mergaon. He heard that the clay of this village was used to make khols. At once he was overwhelmed with bhava, for the…
  9125. 40"Who is it that gets kindled? One who has given up the worldly mind. When a man's taste for worldly things has dried up, the least thing kindles him.…
  9126. 41After the Attainment of God: Steadiness in Sorrow and in Death, and Self-Surrender
  9127. 42"The body's pleasure and pain are always there. One who has attained God gives up everything to Him, mind, life, body and soul. When they went to bath…
  9128. 43Chapter Two
  9129. 44What It Is to Abide in One's Own True Self; Why the Path of Knowledge Is Hard
  9130. 45The Master was silent for a little, and now he is looking at Mahima and the other devotees.
  9131. 46The Master has heard that Mahimacharan does not accept a guru. Now the Master speaks again.
  9132. 47Sri Ramakrishna: One should have faith in the guru's word. There's no need to look at the guru's conduct. "Though my guru goes to the tavern, still my…
  9133. 48"A man used to recite the Chandi and the Bhagavata to people. He said, 'The broom is not to be touched, true, but it makes the place clean.'"
  9134. 49Mahimacharan studies Vedanta. His goal is the Knowledge of Brahman. He has taken up the path of the jnani and is always reasoning.
  9135. 50Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: The jnani's aim is to know his own true Self; this is what is called knowledge, this is what is called liberation. The Sup…
  9136. 51"I told Harish, it's nothing more than this: a few basketfuls of earth have fallen on gold, and you throw that earth away.
  9137. 52"Devotees keep the 'I'; jnanis do not. How to abide in one's own Self, Nangta used to teach: merge the mind in the buddhi, merge the buddhi in the Atm…
  9138. 53"But the 'I' will stay; there's no getting rid of it. It is like an endless mass of water, above, below, in front, behind, right and left, full of wat…
  9139. 54A Memory of Earlier Days; the Thunderbolt at the Kali Temple; the Body and Character of the Knower of Brahman
  9140. 55"The jnani's body stays just as it was; but in the fire of knowledge lust and the other passions are burnt up. Long ago, at the Kali temple, there was…
  9141. 56"The jnani loves to talk only of God. When there is talk of worldly things he is greatly pained. Worldly people are a different sort. Their turban of…
  9142. 57"The Vedas speak of seven planes. When the jnani rises to the fifth plane, he can neither hear nor speak of anything but God. Then nothing comes from…
  9143. 58In all this, is Sri Ramakrishna describing his own state? The Master goes on: "In the Vedas there is 'Satchidananda Brahman.' Brahman is not one, and…
  9144. 59Sri Ramakrishna and the Path of Bhakti; When Raga-bhakti Comes, God Is Attained
  9145. 60Sri Ramakrishna: When raga-bhakti comes, that is, when love of God comes, then He is attained. With vaidhi-bhakti, as it comes, so it goes. You must d…
  9146. 61"But raga-bhakti never falls away! Who comes to have raga-bhakti? Those who have done a great deal in former births. Or those who are ever-perfect. It…
  9147. 62"Those with raga-bhakti never talk like this: 'Brother, how often I lived on havishya, but what came of it!' Those who have newly taken to farming giv…
  9148. 63"Those who have raga-bhakti are the sincere ones. God takes charge of them. Once you have your name entered at the hospital, the doctor won't let you…
  9149. 64"Those whom God holds have nothing to fear. A boy walking along the ridge between the fields who holds his father's hand may still fall, if he lets go…
  9150. 65When Raga-bhakti Comes, Only Talk of God; Renouncing the World, and the Householder
  9151. 66"What can faith not do? One whose faith is firm believes in all of it: God with form and without form, Rama, Krishna, Bhagavati.
  9152. 67"Once, on my way to my own part of the country, a storm with rain came on along the road. And there in the middle of the open fields there was the fea…
  9153. 68"You see, when a servant or a maid takes the money for the marketing, she names each sum as she takes it: this is for potatoes, this is for brinjals,…
  9154. 69"When love of God comes, one wants to talk only of Him. Whoever loves someone likes to hear and to speak of that one.
  9155. 70"Worldly people's mouths water as they talk about their children. If someone praises the child, at once he'll say, 'Here, child, fetch your uncle some…
  9156. 71"Those who love pigeons are delighted if you praise pigeons to them. If someone runs pigeons down, they burst out, 'Did your father or any of your fou…
  9157. 72The Master is saying this to Mahimacharan, for Mahima is a householder.
  9158. 73Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: What need is there to give up the world altogether? It's enough if attachment goes. But you must have spiritual practice.…
  9159. 74"It is easier to fight from inside a fort; the fort gives you a great deal of help. The world is a place for enjoyment; you enjoy each thing and at on…
  9160. 75"I ate onion and began to reason: Mind, this is what is called onion. Then I turned it about in my mouth, this way and that, then the other way, and t…
  9161. 76Chapter Three
  9162. 77In the Joy of Sankirtan
  9163. 78Today a singer is to come, who will sing kirtan with his troupe.
  9164. 79Every now and then Sri Ramakrishna asks the devotees, "Where's the kirtan? Where is it?"
  9165. 80Mahima: We're very well as we are.
  9166. 81Sri Ramakrishna: Oh no, this we have all the year round.
  9167. 82From somewhere out of sight someone calls out, "The kirtan has come! The kirtan has come!"
  9168. 83Sri Ramakrishna, filled with joy, said only, "Eh? It's come?"
  9169. 84A mat was spread on the long verandah to the south-east of the room. Sri Ramakrishna says, "Sprinkle a little Ganges water; all sorts of worldly peopl…
  9170. 85The family and the women of Pyari Babu of Bally had come to visit the Kali temple; seeing the kirtan being got ready, they wished to hear it. Someone…
  9171. 86Just then Narayan arrived and bowed down to the Master.
  9172. 87The Master says, "Why have you come? They beat you so—the people at your home." Seeing Narayan going towards the Master's room, the Master signed to B…
  9173. 88Narayan went into the room. Suddenly the Master got up and entered the room. He meant to feed the boy with his own hands. After feeding him he came ba…
  9174. 89Chapter Four
  9175. 90In the Joy of Sankirtan with the Devotees
  9176. 91Many devotees have come: Sri Vijay Goswami, Mahimacharan, Narayan, Adhar, M., Chhota Gopal and others. Rakhal and Balaram are in holy Vrindavan at thi…
  9177. 92It is three or four in the afternoon. Sri Ramakrishna is listening to the kirtan on the verandah. Narayan came and sat close to him. The other devotee…
  9178. 93Just then Adhar arrived. Seeing Adhar the Master seemed all in a flurry. When Adhar had bowed and taken his seat, the Master signed to him to sit clos…
  9179. 94The kirtan singer brought the kirtan to an end. The gathering broke up. The devotees are strolling here and there in the garden. Some went to see the…
  9180. 95After dusk the devotees came again to the Master's room.
  9181. 96Preparations are being made for kirtan again in the Master's room. The Master is full of eagerness and says, "Give us a lamp over here." A double lamp…
  9182. 97The Master says to Vijay, "Why have you sat down in that sort of place? Move over this way."
  9183. 98This time the sankirtan grew wild with fervour. The Master, beside himself, is dancing. The devotees are dancing round and round him. Vijay, dancing,…
  9184. 99When the kirtan is over Vijay is searching for his key; it has dropped somewhere. The Master says, "Here a 'Haribol' gobbles things up." Saying this h…
  9185. 100Kishori bowed down and was taking his leave. The Master, as if melting with tenderness, laid his hand on his chest and said, "Come again, then." His w…
  9186. 101With the Devotees; Talk of the Devotees
  9187. 102Mani and Gopal did not go after all; they will stay tonight. They and one or two other devotees are sitting on the floor. A little later the Master sa…
  9188. 103The Master has had no leisure all day; he has not been able to rest even a little. How could he leave the devotees and go anywhere! Now, for once, he…
  9189. 104"Save me, O Tarini! Now quickly, for I am terrified with terror of the son of the Sun"—and so on.
  9190. 105The Master asks Mani, "What are you writing?" Hearing the words of the song, he said, "Why, that's a long song."
  9191. 106At night the Master eats a little farina payesh and a luchi or two. The Master says to Ramlal, "Is there any farina?"
  9192. 107After writing a line or two of the song, Mani stopped.
  9193. 108The Master is sitting on his mat on the floor, eating the farina.
  9194. 109The Master sat down again on the small bedstead. M. is sitting on the doormat beside the bedstead, talking with the Master. As the Master speaks of Na…
  9195. 110Sri Ramakrishna: I saw Narayan today.
  9196. 111M.: Yes, sir, his eyes were wet. Seeing his face, I felt like weeping.
  9197. 112Sri Ramakrishna: When I see him I feel a mother's tenderness, as it were. Because he comes here, they beat him at home. There's no one to speak up for…
  9198. 113M., smiling: Leaving his books at Haripada's house, he took to his heels.
  9199. 114Sri Ramakrishna: That wasn't well done.
  9200. 115The Master is silent. After a while he speaks.
  9201. 116Sri Ramakrishna: You see, there's great substance in him. Otherwise would he draw me away while I'm listening to kirtan? I had to come into the room.…
  9202. 117The Master fell silent. After a little he speaks again.
  9203. 118Sri Ramakrishna: "I asked him while I was in bhava. He answered in a word: 'I'm in bliss.'" To M.: "Buy him something now and then and feed him, with…
  9204. 119Sri Ramakrishna is speaking of Tejchandra.
  9205. 120Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "Just ask him once and see what he says I am, after all: a jnani, or what? I hear Tejchandra doesn't talk much." To Gopal: "Lo…
  9206. 121The Master is sitting on his mat on the floor, eating the farina. Beside him a lamp is burning on a lampstand. M. is sitting near the Master. The Mast…
  9207. 122Sri Ramakrishna: Well, bring it, won't you?
  9208. 123M. hurried off to search the shelf. He found there was no sandesh; very likely it had been used up in serving the devotees. Abashed, he came back and…
  9209. 124Sri Ramakrishna: Well, suppose I went once to your school and saw—
  9210. 125M. was thinking, "He wants to go to the school to see Narayan," and he said, "Wouldn't it do if you came and sat at our house?"
  9211. 126Sri Ramakrishna: No, there's a bhava behind it. You know, I'd like to see just once whether there are any other boys there.
  9212. 127M.: Of course you shall go. Other people go to look round, and in the same way you will go too.
  9213. 128After his meal the Master went and sat on the small bedstead. A devotee filled his pipe for him. The Master is smoking. Meanwhile M. and Gopal sat on…
  9214. 129After eating, M. came and sat on the doormat beside the bedstead.
  9215. 130Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What if there are pots and pans in the nahabat? Will you sleep here? In this room?
  9216. 131M.: As you wish, sir.
  9217. 132Chapter Five
  9218. 133With His Servant
  9219. 134It was ten or eleven at night. The Master is resting on the small bedstead, leaning against a bolster. Mani is sitting on the floor. The Master is tal…
  9220. 135The Master is an ocean of grace that asks no reason. He will accept Mani's service.
  9221. 136Sri Ramakrishna: Look, my legs are aching. Rub them a little for me, will you?
  9222. 137Mani sat on the small bedstead at the Master's feet, took his two feet into his lap and was gently stroking them. Now and then the Master spoke.
  9223. 138Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: How did all the talk go today?
  9224. 139Mani: Very good, sir—
  9225. 140Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And how was that about Akbar the emperor?
  9226. 141Mani: Yes, sir.
  9227. 142Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, what was it?
  9228. 143Mani: A fakir came to see Akbar the emperor. Akbar Shah was at his prayers just then. At his prayers he was asking God for riches and wealth; at that…
  9229. 144Sri Ramakrishna: And what else was said?
  9230. 145Mani: There was a great deal of talk about laying up stores.
  9231. 146Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What was said?
  9232. 147Mani: So long as one feels one has to make an effort, one must make the effort. How well you spoke at Sinthi about laying up stores!
  9233. 148Sri Ramakrishna: What was that?
  9234. 149Mani: Whoever depends on Him for everything, He takes charge of him. Just as a guardian takes charge of everything for a minor. And I heard another th…
  9235. 150Sri Ramakrishna: No. That's not it; when the father leads the child by the hand, that child never falls.
  9236. 151Mani: And today you spoke of the three kinds of holy men. The best sadhu gets his food sitting where he is. You told of the young sadhu who saw the gi…
  9237. 152Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What things?
  9238. 153Mani: That crow at Pampa. It is repeating Rama's name day and night, so it goes to the water but cannot drink. And the sadhu's book, with nothing writ…
  9239. 154Sri Ramakrishna: What did he say?
  9240. 155Mani: "I have seen Sita: only her body lies there; she has given up mind and life, everything, at your feet."
  9241. 156"And the chataka: it will drink nothing but the clear rain-water.
  9242. 157"And the talk of the path of knowledge and the path of bhakti."
  9243. 158Sri Ramakrishna: What was it?
  9244. 159Mani: So long as there is consciousness of the 'pot,' the 'I, the pot' will surely stay. So long as there is consciousness of 'I,' there is 'I am the…
  9245. 160Sri Ramakrishna: No; whether there is consciousness of the pot or not, the pot does not go. The 'I' is not the going kind. Reason a thousand times, it…
  9246. 161Mani stayed silent for a while. Then he speaks again.
  9247. 162Mani: In the Kali shrine there was the talk with Ishan Mukherji; it was our great good fortune that we were there then and could hear it.
  9248. 163Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes, tell me, what was said?
  9249. 164Mani: You said then that karmakanda is the adikanda, the first chapter. You had said to Sambhu Mallick, "If God came before you, would you ask Him for…
  9250. 165"There was another thing said: so long as there is attachment to work, God does not reveal Himself. You had told Keshab Sen that."
  9251. 166Sri Ramakrishna: What was it?
  9252. 167Mani: So long as the child is busy with his comforter, the mother gets on with her cooking. When the child throws the comforter away and screams, the…
  9253. 168"And there was another thing said that day. Lakshmana had asked where God might be seen. After much talk Rama said, 'Brother, wherever you see in a ma…
  9254. 169Sri Ramakrishna: Ah! Ah!
  9255. 170The Master stayed silent for a while.
  9256. 171Mani: To Ishan you spoke only of turning away from the world. Since that day many people have come to their senses. Their bent is towards cutting down…
  9257. 172Hearing this, Sri Ramakrishna laughed aloud.
  9258. 173Mani, very humbly: Well, sir, cutting down one's duties—all the bother—that's good, isn't it?
  9259. 174Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, but if someone comes your way, that's another matter. If a holy man or a poor man comes before you, you ought to serve them.
  9260. 175Mani: And the other day you spoke so well to Ishan Mukherji about flatterers. They fall on a man as vultures fall on a carcass. You said that to Pandi…
  9261. 176Sri Ramakrishna: No, to Bamandas of Ula.
  9262. 177A little later Mani sat down beside the small bedstead, near the doormat.
  9263. 178Drowsiness is coming over the Master; he says to Mani, "Go and lie down. Where has Gopal gone? Leave the door pushed to."
  9264. 179The next day is Monday. Sri Ramakrishna has risen from his bed very early, before dawn, and is chanting the names of the deities, now and then gazing…
  9265. 180After his morning duties he came and sat near the Master.
  9266. 181The Master bathed today. After his bath he is going to the Kali temple. Mani is with him. The Master asked him to lock the room.
  9267. 182In the Kali temple the Master took his seat and, taking flowers, was offering them now on his own head, now at the lotus feet of Mother Kali. Once he…
  9268. 183Now the Master begins to sing. Drunk with bhava, he is teaching Mani something under the guise of song: that Kali is none other than Brahman, that Kal…
  9269. 184He sings: "Who knows what Kali is like? In the six systems of philosophy."
  9270. 185He sings: "All this is the play of my mad Mother."
  9271. 186He sings: "Kali, who knows You, Mother? (You whose forms are endless!) You are the Great Knowledge, without beginning and without origin, who loosen t…
  9272. 187He sings: "Save me, O Tarini! Now quickly, my life is going, terrified with terror of the son of the Sun. Mother of the world, who nurtures all beings…
  9273. 188Mani is thinking to himself, if only the Master would now sing this song: "I shall not be deceived any more, Mother, if You try to beguile me; I have…
  9274. 189How wonderful! Hardly has the thought crossed his mind when the Master is singing that very song.
  9275. 190After a while the Master asks, "Well, what sort of state do you think I am in now?"
  9276. 191Mani, smiling: Your natural state.
  9277. 192The Master took up the refrain of a song to himself: "Unless you are a natural man you cannot know the Natural One."
  9278. 1A
  9279. 2Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Bankim
  9280. 3Sri Ramakrishna's Joy in Kirtan with the Devotees at the House of Sri Adharlal Sen, and His Conversation with Sri Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Oth…
  9281. 4Today the Master has come to Adhar's house. It is the twenty-second of Agrahayan, the fourth day of the dark fortnight, Saturday, by the English recko…
  9282. 5Adhar is a great devotee; he is a Deputy Magistrate, perhaps twenty-nine or thirty years of age. The Master loves him dearly. And what devotion Adhar…
  9283. 6Adhar often took the Master to his house in Sobhabazar. When the Master came, a festival would spring up there. Adhar would make great rejoicing with…
  9284. 7One day the Master went to his house. Adhar said, You have not come to this house for many days, and the room had grown dingy; there seemed to be some…
  9285. 8Today too there will be a festival. The Master is full of bliss, and the devotees are filled with joy. For where the Master is present, there will be…
  9286. 9Sri Ramakrishna is talking with the devotees, his face lit with smiles. Just then Adhar came to the Master with several of his friends and sat down.
  9287. 10Adhar, pointing to Bankim, to the Master: Sir, this gentleman is a great scholar and has written a great many books and suchlike. He has come to see y…
  9288. 11Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Bankim! Well, and in whose bhava are you bent?
  9289. 12Bankim, laughing: "Why, sir! From the kicks of shoes." Everyone laughed. "Bent from the kicks of the sahibs' shoes."
  9290. 13Bankim and Radha-Krishna: The Meaning of the Divine Pair
  9291. 14Sri Ramakrishna: "No, my dear, Sri Krishna was bent by love. He was bent in three places by love of Srimati. Some explain Krishna's form so: bent thre…
  9292. 15"Sri Krishna is Purusha, and Srimati is His Sakti, the Primal Sakti. Purusha and Prakriti. The image of the Divine Pair, what does it mean? Purusha an…
  9293. 16Just as all this came to an end, Bankim and Adhar's other friends began to talk softly among themselves in English.
  9294. 17Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Bankim and the others: "Well now. What is all this you are discussing in English?" Everyone laughed.
  9295. 18Adhar: Sir, there was a little talk on this subject, about the explanation of Krishna's form.
  9296. 19Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to all: "One thing comes to my mind and makes me laugh. Listen, let me tell you a story. A barber had gone to shave someone.…
  9297. 20Chapter Two
  9298. 21Sri Ramakrishna and the Work of Preaching
  9299. 22When the laughter had died down, Bankim began the conversation again.
  9300. 23Bankim: Sir, why do you not preach?
  9301. 24Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "Preach! That is all talk of vanity. Man is a tiny creature. He alone will preach who has made the moon and the sun and bro…
  9302. 25"As long as the fire burns under the milk, the milk swells up foaming. Take away the fire, and the milk is just as it was! It has gone down.
  9303. 26"And one must increase one's own strength through spiritual practice; otherwise there is no preaching. 'He finds no room to lie down himself, yet he c…
  9304. 27"In my part of the country the bank of the Haldar pond was fouled every day, and people who came in the morning would see it and swear. People swore,…
  9305. 28"Just so, if God reveals Himself and gives the command, then alone is there preaching, then is the world taught; otherwise who will listen to what you…
  9306. 29Everyone listened to these words gravely and in stillness.
  9307. 30Sri Bankim and the Life Hereafter
  9308. 31Life after Death—argument from analogy
  9309. 32Sri Ramakrishna, to Bankim: Well, you are a great scholar, and you have written so many books; what do you say, what is man's duty? What will go with…
  9310. 33Bankim: The hereafter. What may that be?
  9311. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, after knowledge one need not go to any other world; there is no rebirth. But until knowledge comes, until God is attained, one h…
  9312. 35Bankim, laughing: Sir, weeds don't do the work of a plant either.
  9313. 36Sri Ramakrishna: "That does not make the jnani a weed. He who has seen God has gained the fruit of immortality, not a fruit like the gourd and the pum…
  9314. 37"An analogy holds only in one respect. You are a scholar; haven't you read logic? When one says fearful like a tiger, it does not mean there must be a…
  9315. 38"I said the same thing to Keshab Sen. Keshab asked: Sir, is there a hereafter? I said neither this way nor that! I said: potters set out their pots to…
  9316. 39"But some He keeps back in the world of maya, to teach men. To give men teaching. The jnani lives taking refuge in vidya-maya. He Himself keeps him fo…
  9317. 40Sri Ramakrishna, to Bankim: "Well, what do you say? What is man's duty?"
  9318. 41Bankim, laughing: Sir, if you ask that, then it is eating, sleeping and sex.
  9319. 42Sri Ramakrishna, annoyed: "Eh! You are a mean fellow! What you do day and night is what comes out of your mouth. A man belches of what he eats. Eat ra…
  9320. 43Sri Bankim: Mere Scholarship, and Woman and Gold
  9321. 44Sri Ramakrishna, to Bankim: "What good is mere scholarship, if there is no thought of God? If there is no discrimination and dispassion? What good is…
  9322. 45"Kites and vultures soar very high, but their eyes are only on the place where carcasses are thrown! The pundit has read many books and scriptures, ca…
  9323. 46"Some think: These people are forever crying God, God; they're mad! They have lost their heads. How clever we are, how we enjoy ourselves: money, hono…
  9324. 47"But those who think on God, who pray night and day that attachment to worldly things and love of woman and gold may leave them, to whom the taste of…
  9325. 48Gently, to Bankim: "Please don't take it amiss."
  9326. 49Bankim: Sir, I did not come to hear sweet words.
  9327. 50Chapter Three
  9328. 51Sri Ramakrishna, to Bankim: "Woman and gold: that is the world. This is what is called maya. It does not let one see God or think of Him. After one or…
  9329. 52"And then 'gold'. Sitting under the Panchavati on the bank of the Ganges, I said, 'Money is clay', 'money is clay', 'clay is money, money is clay', an…
  9330. 53The Panchavati: under the Panchavati at Rani Rasmani's Kali temple, Thakur Ramakrishna practised much spiritual discipline and austerity. It is a very…
  9331. 54Bankim: Money is clay! Sir, if one has a few pice, one can give to the poor. If money is clay, then will there be no kindness, no doing good to others…
  9332. 55Sri Bankim: 'Doing Good to the World', and Karma Yoga
  9333. 56Sri Ramakrishna, to Bankim: "Kindness! Doing good to others! What power have you to do good to others? Man struts and swaggers so much, but when he is…
  9334. 57"The sannyasi has to renounce woman and gold! He cannot take them up again. Having spat, one does not lick up the spittle again. If a sannyasi gives a…
  9335. 58"The worldly man needs money, because he has wife and children. They must save, for they have wife and children to feed. Only the panchhi and the derv…
  9336. 59"If a worldly man is a pure devotee, he works without attachment. The fruits of his work, profit and loss, pleasure and pain, he offers to God. And da…
  9337. 60"If a worldly man gives to anyone without desire, he does it for his own good, not for 'doing good to others'. Hari dwells in all beings; it is He who…
  9338. 61"So I say, he who works in this way without attachment, who is kind and gives, does good to himself alone. Good to others, the welfare of others: that…
  9339. 62"So what is the duty of the jiva? What else but to take refuge in Him, and to pray to Him with longing that one may attain Him and see Him.
  9340. 63God Alone Is Real, All Else Unreal
  9341. 64"Sambhu had said, It is my wish to build a good many dispensaries and hospitals; then the poor will be greatly helped. I said, Yes, if you do all this…
  9342. 65"Those who build hospitals and dispensaries and take their joy in it are good people too; but theirs is a different class. The pure devotee wants noth…
  9343. 66"Janaka and the others did their work under a command."
  9344. 67Chapter Four
  9345. 68First Learning (Science), or First God?
  9346. 69Sri Ramakrishna, to Bankim: "Some think that without reading the scriptures, without reading books, one cannot reach God. They think one must first kn…
  9347. 70Bankim: Yes, first one must know a few things about the world. Without a little knowledge of this side, how shall I know God? First one must learn by…
  9348. 71Sri Ramakrishna: "That is the one idea all of you have. God first, then creation. Attain Him, and if need be, perhaps you will come to know everything…
  9349. 72"If somehow or other you can get acquainted with Jadu Mallick, then, if you have the wish, you will be able to learn even how many houses Jadu Mallick…
  9350. 73When That is known, all this becomes known.
  9351. 74'God first must be attained, then creation and other matters. Valmiki was given the mantra of Rama to repeat, but he was told, Repeat 'mara, mara'. 'M…
  9352. 75The goal of human life (End of life) is the attainment of God.
  9353. 76God first—Seek ye first the kingdom of Heaven and all other things shall be added unto you—Jesus,
  9354. 77"What you need is to attain God! Why are you so taken up with the world, creation, science, schmience and the rest? You need to eat mangoes. How many…
  9355. 78Bankim: Where do I get the mangoes?
  9356. 79Sri Ramakrishna: Pray to Him with longing; if it is sincere, He will surely, surely hear. Perhaps He will bring you some holy company that makes the w…
  9357. 80Bankim: "Who? The guru! He eats the good mangoes himself and gives me the bad ones!" There was laughter.
  9358. 81Sri Ramakrishna: "Why so! Each gets what his stomach can bear. Can everyone digest pilau and rich curry? When fish comes into the house, the mother do…
  9359. 82The Way to Reach God: Longing, and a Child's Faith
  9360. 83"The guru's word must be believed. The guru is Satchidananda, Satchidananda is the guru; if you believe his words, believe them like a child, you will…
  9361. 84"But just as a child, when he cannot see his mother, is at his wits' end, and if you try to coax him with sweets in his hand he wants none of it, noth…
  9362. 85"This is longing. Whatever path you take, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sakta, Brahmo: whatever path you take, it all comes down to that longing. He is th…
  9363. 86"And there are errors on every path. Everyone thinks his own watch is keeping time, but nobody's watch keeps exact time. Yet that does not hold up any…
  9364. 87Chapter Five
  9365. 88Sri Ramakrishna in the Joy of Kirtan
  9366. 89Sri Trailokya of the Brahmo Samaj is singing.
  9367. 90Listening to the kirtan for a little while, Sri Ramakrishna suddenly stood up and lost outward consciousness in divine ecstasy. Wholly turned within,…
  9368. 91After a while, when some outward consciousness had returned, the Master began to dance, mad with divine love, as though Sri Gauranga were dancing with…
  9369. 92So the devotees began to reflect, and they watched that wonderful dance and joy of kirtan, rare even for the gods. All were standing round Sri Ramakri…
  9370. 93When the kirtan was over the Master prostrated himself on the ground. Uttering the words 'Bhagavata, Bhakta, Bhagavan', he says, Salutations at the fe…
  9371. 94Again everyone sat down around him.
  9372. 95Chapter Six
  9373. 96Sri Bankim and Bhakti Yoga: Love of God
  9374. 97Bankim, to the Master: Sir, how does one come to bhakti?
  9375. 98Sri Ramakrishna: "Longing. As a child cries for his mother, at his wits' end because he cannot see her, so, if you cry for God with that longing, you…
  9376. 99"When dawn breaks the east grows red, and then one knows that sunrise is not far off. In the same way, if one sees that a man's heart is yearning for…
  9377. 100"A man asked a guru, Sir, tell me how I shall find God. The guru said, Come, I'll show you. Saying this he took him along to a pond. Both of them went…
  9378. 101"I tell you, what is the good of floating on the surface? Dive a little. The gems lie deep under the water; what is the good of flinging your arms and…
  9379. 102Bankim: "Sir, what can I do? There is a float of pith tied behind me." Everyone laughed. "It won't let me dive."
  9380. 103Sri Ramakrishna: "Remember Him, and all sins are cut away. At His name the noose of death is cut. You have to dive; otherwise you won't find the gems.…
  9381. 104Dive, dive, dive in the sea of beauty, O my mind; Search the lowest depths, the underworld, and you will find the treasure, the gem of love. Seek, see…
  9382. 105The Master sang this song in that sweet voice of his, rare even for the gods. The whole gathering, enthralled, listened to it with rapt attention. Whe…
  9383. 106Sri Ramakrishna, to Bankim: "Some people won't dive. They say, If we overdo this crying God, God, shall we go mad in the end? Of those who are drunk w…
  9384. 107"I had asked Narendra, Imagine there is a bowl of syrup and you have become a fly; where will you sit and drink the syrup? Narendra said, I'll sit at…
  9385. 108"So I say, dive. There is nothing to fear; dive, and you become immortal."
  9386. 109Now Bankim bowed to the Master; he was going to take leave.
  9387. 110Bankim: Sir, I am not such a fool as you have taken me to be. I have a request: be gracious and grant the dust of your feet to my cottage once—
  9388. 111Sri Ramakrishna: Very well, as God wills.
  9389. 112Bankim: You will see there too that there are devotees.
  9390. 113Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "What now! What sort of devotees are they there? Like those who said Gopal, Gopal and Kesava, Kesava?" Everyone laughed.
  9391. 114A devotee: Sir, what is that story, Gopal, Gopal?
  9392. 115Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "Then listen, I'll tell you the story. In one place there is a goldsmith's shop. They are great Vaishnavas, with beads roun…
  9393. 116"But do you know what it really meant? The one who said 'Kesava! Kesava!' after the customers came meant, Who are all these? That is, who are these cu…
  9394. 117Bankim took his leave. But he had been deeply absorbed in some thought. Coming to the door of the room, he finds that he has left his shawl behind and…
  9395. 118Rakhal has come. He had gone to holy Vrindavan with Balaram, and has been back from there some days. The Master had spoken of him to Sarat and Devendr…
  9396. 119Sarat and Sanyal are brahmins; Adhar is of the Subarnabanik caste. Fearing that the master of the house would call them to eat, they slipped away in h…
  9397. 120Adhar invited Sri Ramakrishna and the assembled devotees with great care and fed them to their heart's content. After the meal the devotees went home,…
  9398. 121On the day of the Master's gracious visit to Adhar's house, Sri Bankim had requested Sri Ramakrishna to come to his house, and so some days later the…
  9399. 122The Reading of 'Devi Chaudhurani' under the Panchavati at Dakshineswar
  9400. 123On 6 December 1884 Sri Ramakrishna had graced Sri Adhar's house with his visit and had talked with Sri Bankim Babu. All this has been told in Chapters…
  9401. 124Some days after this, that is, on Saturday the twenty-seventh of December, Sri Ramakrishna, with the devotees under the Panchavati at Dakshineswar, ha…
  9402. 125Sri Ramakrishna was seated on the platform under the Panchavati with many devotees. He asked M. to read aloud to him. Kedar, Ram, Nityagopal, Tarak (S…
  9403. 1Section Eleven
  9404. 2The Master Sri Ramakrishna at the Play of Prahlada's Life
  9405. 3Chapter One
  9406. 4Sri Ramakrishna in the Temple of Samadhi
  9407. 5Today Sri Ramakrishna has come to the Star Theatre to see the play Prahlada Charitra. With him are M., Baburam, Narayan and others. The Star Theatre w…
  9408. 6It is Sunday, the thirtieth of Agrahayan, the twelfth day of the dark fortnight, the fourteenth of December 1884. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in a box,…
  9409. 7Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Ah! You have written it all beautifully!
  9410. 8Girish: Sir, what grasp is there? I have only gone on writing.
  9411. 9Sri Ramakrishna: No, you do have the grasp. Didn't I tell you the other day, unless there is bhakti within, one cannot paint the chalchitra, the image…
  9412. 10"One has to grasp it. I had gone to Keshab's house for the play Nava Vrindavan. There I saw a deputy magistrate on a salary of eight hundred rupees. E…
  9413. 11Girish: It comes to my mind: why go on with the theatres any more?
  9414. 12Sri Ramakrishna: No, no, let them be. People will learn from them.
  9415. 13The play has begun. Prahlada has come to the school to do his lessons. Seeing Prahlada, the Master says tenderly, "Prahlada! Prahlada!" and, saying it…
  9416. 14Seeing Prahlada under the elephant's feet, the Master weeps. When he is thrown into the pit of fire, the Master weeps then too.
  9417. 15Lakshmi and Narayana are seated in Goloka. Narayana is troubled for Prahlada. At that sight the Master again passes into samadhi!
  9418. 16Chapter Two
  9419. 17Talk of God with the Devotees
  9420. 18The Signs of the Vision of God and the Way to It; Three Kinds of Devotee
  9421. 19When the play was over, Girish took the Master to the room where he sits in the theatre. Girish said, "Will you hear 'Vivaha Vibhrat'?" The Master sai…
  9422. 20Sri Ramakrishna: What I saw was He Himself, become all things. Those who were dressed for the parts I saw as the Blissful Mother Herself! Those who we…
  9423. 21"Because the jiva has ego, he cannot see God. When clouds come up, the sun cannot be seen any more. But because it cannot be seen, is there no sun? Th…
  9424. 22"But the 'child's I' is no fault; rather it does good. Greens make one ill, but hinche greens do one good. Hinche greens do not count as greens. Sugar…
  9425. 23"That is why I told Keshab Sen, 'If I tell you any more, your party and all won't last!' Keshab took fright. Then I said, 'The child's I, the servant'…
  9426. 24"One who has seen God sees that God Himself has become the jivas and the world. He is all. This is what is called the highest devotee."
  9427. 25Girish, smiling: All is He; only a little 'I' stays on, and it brings on no phlegm.
  9428. 26Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes, that does no harm. That bit of 'I' is there for enjoyment. When there is one 'I' and one 'You', then bliss can be enjoy…
  9429. 27"Then there is the devotee of the middle grade. He sees God present in all beings as the Indweller. The devotee of the lowest grade says: There is God…
  9430. 28"Seeing the cowherd boys of Goloka, though, I felt that it is He, God Himself, who has become everything. One who has seen God feels for certain that…
  9431. 29Girish: Sir, I have understood it for certain: He is doing everything.
  9432. 30Sri Ramakrishna: I say, 'Mother, I am the machine, You are the one who works it; I am inert, You are the one who gives it consciousness; as You make m…
  9433. 31Through Karmayoga the Mind Is Made Pure; Why Cry 'Sin, Sin' All the Time? Bhakti without Motive
  9434. 32Girish: Sir, what am I doing anyway? And why work at all?
  9435. 33Sri Ramakrishna: Oh no, work is good. Once the field is tilled, whatever you plant will grow. But work has to be done without desire.
  9436. 34"There are two kinds of paramahamsa: the paramahamsa of jnana and the paramahamsa of prema. The one with jnana keeps it to himself: 'So long as I have…
  9437. 35Girish: Then give me your blessing.
  9438. 36Sri Ramakrishna: Have faith in the Mother's name, and it will come.
  9439. 37Girish: But I am a sinner!
  9440. 38Sri Ramakrishna: The one who keeps on saying 'sin, sin' all the time, the wretch becomes a sinner!
  9441. 39Girish: Sir, the ground where I used to sit is unclean.
  9442. 40Sri Ramakrishna: What's this! If light comes into a room that has been dark for a thousand years, does it grow light little by little? Or does it ligh…
  9443. 41Girish: You have given me your blessing.
  9444. 42Sri Ramakrishna: If it is from your heart—what can I say! I eat and drink and take His name.
  9445. 43Girish: It isn't from my heart, but you must give me that much.
  9446. 44Sri Ramakrishna: What am I? Narada, Sukadeva: they would have been the ones—
  9447. 45Girish: Narada and the others I can't see. What I have is right before my eyes.
  9448. 46Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Very well, faith!
  9449. 47For a while everyone sits silent. Then the talk begins again.
  9450. 48Girish: I have one longing: bhakti without motive.
  9451. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Bhakti without motive belongs to the Isvarakotis. It does not come to the jivakotis.
  9452. 50Everyone had fallen silent. The Master, lost in himself, began to sing, his eyes turned upward:
  9453. 51Does everyone find Syama, that treasure? (Does everyone find Kali, that treasure?) The foolish mind does not understand; what a trouble this is! Those…
  9454. 52Girish: Those feet Kamalakanta, without merit, still longs for!
  9455. 53Chapter Three
  9456. 54The Way to the Vision of God: Longing
  9457. 55Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: When renunciation is intense, He is attained. The heart must yearn. A disciple asked his guru, 'How shall I find God?' The…
  9458. 56"So I say, when three pulls come together, then He is attained. The worldly man's pull toward worldly things, the chaste wife's pull toward her husban…
  9459. 57"'Call, O mind, call as one ought to call; then how can Syama stay away!' If you can call on Him with that kind of yearning, He has to show Himself.
  9460. 58Jnanayoga and Bhaktiyoga Reconciled; Narada's Bhakti in the Kaliyuga
  9461. 59"What I told you the other day: what is the meaning of bhakti? It is worship of Him with body, mind and speech. With the body: that is, worshipping an…
  9462. 60"In the Kaliyuga it is Narada's bhakti: always singing His name and glories. Those who have no time should worship Him morning and evening, clapping t…
  9463. 61"The 'I' of bhakti does not bring ego. It does not make one ignorant; rather it helps one attain God. This 'I' is not counted as an 'I'. Just as hinch…
  9464. 62"After nishtha comes bhakti. When bhakti ripens, it becomes bhava. When bhava deepens, it becomes mahabhava. Last of all comes prema.
  9465. 63"Prema is like a rope. When prema comes, God is bound fast to the devotee and cannot run away. An ordinary jiva can go as far as bhava. Unless one is…
  9466. 64"What is jnanayoga? The path by which one comes to know one's own true nature. The knowledge: 'Brahman is my true nature.'
  9467. 65"Prahlada would sometimes dwell in his own true nature. At other times he would see: 'I am one, You are another'; then he would live in the bhava of b…
  9468. 66"Hanuman said, 'O Rama! At times I see You as the whole and myself as a part; at times I see You as the Master and myself as the servant; and, Rama, w…
  9469. 67Girish: Ah!
  9470. 68Can God Be Attained in the World?
  9471. 69Sri Ramakrishna: Why shouldn't it happen in the world? But discrimination and renunciation are needed. God is the Real, all else is passing, here for…
  9472. 70With that the Master sings:
  9473. 71Dive, dive, dive deep, my mind, into the sea of Beauty; Search the depths below and the underworld, and you will find the jewel-treasure of prema.
  9474. 72"One thing more. There is the fear of the crocodiles, lust and the rest."
  9475. 73Girish: But I have no fear of Yama.
  9476. 74Sri Ramakrishna: No, there is fear of the crocodiles, lust and the rest; so you must rub yourself with turmeric before you dive. Turmeric is discrimin…
  9477. 75"In the world jnana comes to a few. That is why it is said there are two kinds of yogi, the hidden yogi and the open yogi. Those who have given up the…
  9478. 76Sinners and the Master Sri Ramakrishna
  9479. 77Girish: What will become of this sinner?
  9480. 78Looking upward, the Master began to sing in a plaintive voice:
  9481. 79Think on the Lord of Sri, the slayer of Naraka; you will be utterly freed from the fear of Death. Think on Him, and the cares of the world are gone— W…
  9482. 80To Girish: "Whoever thinks on the Thrice-bent One crosses the waves with a flick of the brow."
  9483. 81The Worship of Mahamaya, the Primal Sakti; the Power of Attorney, or Bakalma
  9484. 82"When Mahamaya leaves the door, then comes the vision of Him. Mahamaya's grace is needed. That is why Sakti is worshipped. Don't you see, God is near,…
  9485. 83"To worship Him one has to take refuge in some bhava. I have had three bhavas: the bhava of the child, the bhava of the handmaid and the bhava of the…
  9486. 84"The vira bhava is not good. The vira bhava belongs to the nedas and nedis, to the bhairavas and bhairavis. That is, seeing Prakriti as a woman and pl…
  9487. 85Girish: That bhava came to me at one time.
  9488. 86The Master Sri Ramakrishna, troubled, began to look at Girish.
  9489. 87Girish: That bit of a twist is still there. Tell me, what is the way now?
  9490. 88Sri Ramakrishna, after thinking for a while: Hand Him your power of attorney, and let Him do what is to be done.
  9491. 89Chapter Four
  9492. 90When Sattva Comes, God Is Attained; Satchidananda or Karanananda
  9493. 91The Master Sri Ramakrishna is speaking of the young devotees.
  9494. 92Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish and the others: As I meditate, I see all their signs. They have no idea of 'I'll build a house.' They have no desire for th…
  9495. 93Girish: You have blessed me!
  9496. 94Sri Ramakrishna: Did I? But I did say that if it is from your heart, it will come.
  9497. 95As he speaks, the Master utters the words 'Anandamayi! Anandamayi!' and is passing into samadhi. In samadhi he remained a long time. Coming back a lit…
  9498. 96Looking at Baburam and the other devotees, the Master, drunk with prema, is saying, "It is Satchidananda that is good! And Karanananda?" With that the…
  9499. 97This time I have thought well; From a good thinker I have learned bhava. I have found a man from the land where there is no night; For me, what is day…
  9500. 98The Master began another song:
  9501. 99Who longs for Gaya, the Ganges, Prabhasa and the rest, for Kasi and Kanchi, If, while I say 'Kali, Kali', my ajapa runs out? One who says 'Kali' at th…
  9502. 100"Praying to the Mother, I said to Her, 'Mother, I want nothing else; give me pure bhakti.'"
  9503. 101Seeing Girish's calm bhava, the Master is pleased. And he is saying, "This state of yours is good; the natural state is the best state."
  9504. 102The Master is sitting in the manager's room in the theatre. Someone came and said, "Will you see Vivaha Vibhrat? It is being played now."
  9505. 103The Master is saying to Girish, "What have you done? After Prahlada Charitra, Vivaha Vibhrat? First the payesh and the mundi, and after that the bitte…
  9506. 104Sri Ramakrishna, Ocean of Compassion, and the Women of the Town
  9507. 105After the play, on Girish's advice, the actresses have come to bow to the Master. They all bowed down to the ground. Some of the devotees are standing…
  9508. 106When they had bowed and gone away, the Master says to the devotees, "It is all He, in one form and another."
  9509. 107Now the Master got into the carriage. Girish and the other devotees went along with him and helped him into the carriage.
  9510. 108Even as he was getting in, the Master was lost in deep samadhi!
  9511. 109Narayan and the other devotees got into the carriage. The carriage is going toward Dakshineswar.
  9512. 1Section Twenty-Two
  9513. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees under the Panchavati at Dakshineswar
  9514. 3Chapter One
  9515. 4The Master Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar, and the Reading of "Devi Chaudhurani"
  9516. 5M., Prasanna, Kedar, Ram, Nityagopal, Tarak, Suresh and others
  9517. 6It is Saturday, the twenty-seventh of December, 1884, the seventh day of the bright fortnight of Paush. The devotees have a holiday for the birth of J…
  9518. 7This was the first time that Sri Sarada Prasanna had seen the Master Sri Ramakrishna.
  9519. 8The Master said to M., "Well, didn't you bring Bankim?"
  9520. 9Bankim was a schoolboy. The Master had seen him at Baghbazar, and from a distance, on seeing him, had said, "The boy is good."
  9521. 10Many of the devotees have come. Kedar, Ram, Nityagopal, Tarak, Suresh Mitra and others are there, and many of the young devotees.
  9522. 11After a while the Master has gone with the devotees and sat down in the Panchavati. The devotees surround him on every side, some sitting, some standi…
  9523. 12M.: Yes, sir.
  9524. 13Sri Ramakrishna: Read it out to me a little at a time; let's hear it.
  9525. 14Sri Ramakrishna and the Duty of a King
  9526. 15The devotees are eager to see what book it is. The book's name is "Devi Chaudhurani". The Master has heard that there is talk of desireless work in De…
  9527. 16Sri Ramakrishna: Why, that is a king's duty.
  9528. 17M.: In another place there is talk of bhakti. Bhavani Thakur had sent a girl to stay with Praphulla. Her name was Nishi. That girl was full of bhakti.…
  9529. 18"Nishi: I am his daughter, Bhavani Thakur's, and he is my father. He too has given me away, after a fashion.
  9530. 19Praphulla: After what fashion?
  9531. 20Nishi: My all, to Sri Krishna.
  9532. 21Praphulla: How is that?
  9533. 22Nishi: Beauty, youth, life.
  9534. 23Praphulla: He is your husband?
  9535. 24Nishi: Yes; for he who possesses me wholly, he alone is my husband.
  9536. 25Praphulla heaved a long sigh and said, "I can't say. You have never seen a husband, that is why you talk like this. Had you seen a husband, your mind…
  9537. 26The foolish Brajeswar, Praphulla's husband, did not know as much as this!
  9538. 27Her companion said, "Every woman's mind can go out to Sri Krishna; for His beauty is infinite, His youth infinite, His glory infinite, His virtues inf…
  9539. 28This young woman was Bhavani Thakur's disciple, but Praphulla was unlettered and could not answer her. The makers of the Hindu religion knew the answe…
  9540. 29Praphulla, a foolish girl, understood none of it. She said, "Sister, I can't understand so much talk. What is your name? You haven't told me yet."
  9541. 30Her companion said, Bhavani Thakur has named me Nishi. I am Diva's sister Nishi. One day I will bring Diva to talk with you. But listen to what I was…
  9542. 31Praphulla: Nonsense! Is there any end to a woman's bhakti?
  9543. 32Nishi: There is no end to a woman's love. Bhakti is one thing, love another."
  9544. 33First Spiritual Practice for God, or First Book-learning?
  9545. 34M.: Bhavani Thakur set Praphulla to her spiritual practice.
  9546. 35"In the first year Bhavani Thakur would let no man go to Praphulla's house, nor let her talk with any man outside the house. In the second year he lif…
  9547. 36"After that Praphulla's education began. She read grammar, then Raghu, Kumara, Naishadha, Sakuntala. A little Sankhya, a little Vedanta, a little Nyay…
  9548. 37Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what this means? That without reading and hearing there is no knowledge. This is the view of the man who wrote it and of…
  9549. 38The devotees, wonderstruck, are drinking in the nectar of the Master's words.
  9550. 39Chapter Two
  9551. 40Desireless Work and Sri Ramakrishna: the Offering of the Fruits, and Bhakti
  9552. 41M.: When her studies were over, and after many days of spiritual practice, Bhavani Thakur came again to see Praphulla. This time he was going to teach…
  9553. 42Therefore, unattached, do always the work that must be done; for by doing work without attachment a man attains the Supreme.
  9554. 43He named three marks of non-attachment:
  9555. 44First, restraint of the senses. Second, freedom from ego. Third, offering the fruits to Sri Krishna.
  9556. 45Without freedom from ego there is no practice of dharma. From the Gita he quoted again:
  9557. 46All works are done by the gunas of Prakriti; but one whose self is deluded by ego thinks, "I am the doer."
  9558. 47Then, the offering of the fruits of all work to Sri Krishna. From the Gita he said:
  9559. 48Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in the fire, whatever you give, whatever austerity you practise, O son of Kunti, do it as an off…
  9560. 49He has given these three marks of desireless work.
  9561. 50Sri Ramakrishna: This is fine. These are the Gita's words; they can't be gainsaid. But there is one more thing. It says to offer the fruits to Sri Kri…
  9562. 51M.: That is not specially said here.
  9563. 52It Is Not Done by Calculation: a Leap, All at Once
  9564. 53Then came the question of what was to be done with the wealth. Praphulla said, "I have offered all this wealth to Sri Krishna."
  9565. 54Therefore, unattached, always do your work; for working without attachment a man attains that highest state of God. Bhagavad Gita 3.19
  9566. 55All works are being done by the gunas of Prakriti; but the man deluded by ego thinks himself the doer. Bhagavad Gita 3.27
  9567. 56Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever homa you perform, whatever you give, whatever austerity you practise, offer that to Me. Bhagavad Gita 9.27
  9568. 57"Praphulla: Since I have offered all my work to Sri Krishna, I have offered this wealth of mine to Sri Krishna too.
  9569. 58Bhavani: All of it?
  9570. 59Praphulla: All of it.
  9571. 60Bhavani: In that case, strictly, the work will not be unattached. If you must strive for your own food, attachment will arise. So either you must live…
  9572. 61M., smiling, to Sri Ramakrishna: There's that bit of shrewd reckoning.
  9573. 62Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that much shrewd reckoning, that much of the calculating mind. One who wants God leaps in all at once. This much kept back for t…
  9574. 63M.: After that it says, Bhavani asked how she would take the wealth and offer it to Sri Krishna. Praphulla said, Sri Krishna is in all beings. So I wi…
  9575. 64He who sees Me everywhere and sees all in Me, I am not lost to him, nor is he lost to Me. He who, established in oneness, worships Me as dwelling in a…
  9576. 65The man who sees Me everywhere and sees all things in Me, from him I am never hidden, and he is never out of My sight. The man who, seeing no differen…
  9577. 66Sri Ramakrishna: These are the marks of the highest devotee.
  9578. 67Worldly People and Their Speech: It Clutches and Drags
  9579. 68M. went on reading.
  9580. 69"Giving to all beings needs a great deal of labour. It needs some care of dress, some show of luxury and enjoyment. So Bhavani said that sometimes a l…
  9581. 70Sri Ramakrishna, displeased: "Shopkeeping is needed"! As the mine is, so the words that come out of it! Thinking of worldly things day and night, dece…
  9582. 71Chapter Three
  9583. 72The Way to the Vision of God: the Nectar of His Life, Told from His Own Lips
  9584. 73The reading went on. Now came the talk of the vision of God. Praphulla has by now become Devi Chaudhurani. It is the seventh day of the bright fortnig…
  9585. 74Sri Ramakrishna: Perceived by the mind. It is not of this mind; it is of the pure mind. This mind does not remain. If there is the least attachment to…
  9586. 75The Telescope of Yoga: the Dharma of a Chaste Wife, and Sri Ramakrishna
  9587. 76M.: A little further on it says that perception by the mind does not come easily. It says that to perceive Him one needs a telescope, and the name of…
  9588. 77Sri Ramakrishna: That's a very good thing. It is the Gita's teaching.
  9589. 78M.: At the end Devi Chaudhurani met her husband. She had great bhakti for her husband. To her husband she said, "You are my god. I learnt to worship o…
  9590. 79Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "I could not learn"! This is called the dharma of a chaste wife. That is there too.
  9591. 80The reading was over. The Master is smiling. The devotees are looking at him, waiting for what the Master will say next.
  9592. 81Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Kedar and the other devotees: This is not bad, in its way. The dharma of a chaste wife. God is worshipped in an image; ca…
  9593. 82From the Past: the Master's State of the Knowledge of Brahman, and the Vision of God in All Beings
  9594. 83"What states I have passed through! For how many days I lived in the bhava of Hara and Gauri! And again for how many days in the bhava of Radha and Kr…
  9595. 84"But lila is not the end. After all these bhavas I said, Mother, in all this there is separation. Give me a state in which there is no separation. So…
  9596. 85"I began to see Him in all beings! Worship dropped away! This bel tree here! I used to come to pick bel leaves! One day, as I went to tear off a leaf,…
  9597. 86"I can't cut a lemon. The other day, with great difficulty, saying 'Jai Kali', I cut one before Her as if it were a sacrifice; only then could I do it…
  9598. 87"He has become man as well, and is sporting. I see: Narayana Himself! As fire comes out when you keep rubbing wood, so, if bhakti is strong, God is se…
  9599. 88"When one is mad with prema, God is seen face to face in all beings. The gopis saw Sri Krishna in all beings. They saw all as Krishna. They said, 'I a…
  9600. 89"The dharma of a chaste wife: the husband is god. And why not? God is worshipped in an image; can't He be worshipped in a living man?
  9601. 90God's Coming into the Image; When Is God Seen in Man? The Ever-perfect and the World
  9602. 91"For God to come into an image three things are needed: first, the bhakti of the priest; second, the image must be beautiful; third, the bhakti of the…
  9603. 92"But there is one thing: unless one has seen Him face to face, such a vision of His play does not come. Do you know the sign of having seen Him? One b…
  9604. 93The Way to the Vision of God: Intense Renunciation, and the Sense that He Is One's Own 'Father'
  9605. 94"One must have this vision. Now, how is He seen face to face? By intense renunciation. One must become such that one says, 'What! Father of the world,…
  9606. 95"Whatever a man thinks of, its being he attains. By worshipping Siva one attains Siva's being. A devotee of Rama thought of Hanuman day and night! He…
  9607. 96"From the part of Siva comes jnana; from the part of Vishnu comes bhakti. Those who have the part of Siva have the nature of a jnani; those who have t…
  9608. 97Chaitanyadeva an Incarnation; the Ordinary Jiva Is Weak
  9609. 98M.: And Chaitanyadeva? You said yourself that he had both jnana and bhakti.
  9610. 99Sri Ramakrishna, annoyed: "He is a different matter. He is God's Incarnation. Between him and the jiva the difference is great. Such was his renunciat…
  9611. 100For one who is ever-perfect, what fear has he of the world? It is a game on a marked board. "What will happen when I throw again?": in a game on a mar…
  9612. 101"One who is ever-perfect can live in the world too, if he so chooses. Some people can play with two swords. They are such players that if a stone is t…
  9613. 102Yoga the Way to the Vision; the Marks of a Yogi
  9614. 103A devotee: Sir, in what state can God be seen?
  9615. 104Sri Ramakrishna: Unless the mind is gathered in wholly, what can come of it? The Bhagavata tells of Sukadeva: he goes along the road as if with bayone…
  9616. 105"The chataka drinks only the water of the clouds. Ganges, Jamuna, Godavari, every other river may be full of water, the seven seas may be brimming, ye…
  9617. 106"One who has this kind of yoga can have the vision of God. When you go to the theatre, until the curtain rises people sit and talk of all sorts of thi…
  9618. 107"After drinking, a drunkard talks only of his joy."
  9619. 108Chapter Four
  9620. 109Sri Ramakrishna at the Foot of the Panchavati: the Incarnation Has No "Offence"
  9621. 110Nityagopal is sitting in front. He is always absorbed in bhava, with no words on his lips.
  9622. 111Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Gopal! You only keep quiet!
  9623. 112Nitya, like a child: I—don't—know.
  9624. 113Sri Ramakrishna: I understand why you say nothing! An offence?
  9625. 114"Quite so, quite so. Jaya and Vijaya, Narayana's doorkeepers, stopped Sanaka, Sanatana and the other rishis from going in. For that offence they had t…
  9626. 115"Sridama was Viraja's doorkeeper in Goloka. Srimati went to her door to catch Krishna in Viraja's temple, and wanted to go in; Sridama would not let h…
  9627. 116"But there is one thing. If the child holds the father's hand, he may fall into the ditch; but what fear has the child whose hand the father holds?
  9628. 117"The story of Sridama is in the Brahmavaivarta Purana."
  9629. 118Kedar Chatterji now lives in Dacca, where he is in government service. Earlier his post was in Calcutta; now it is in Dacca. He is a great devotee of…
  9630. 119Sri Ramakrishna's Many Bhavas and States, for People of Every Kind
  9631. 120Kedar, very humbly: Should I eat the things they bring?
  9632. 121Sri Ramakrishna: If they give them with bhakti for God, there's no harm. If they give them with some desire, those things are not good.
  9633. 122Kedar: I have told them that I have no worries. I have told them, "He who has shown me His grace knows everything."
  9634. 123Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That's true, of course. People of every kind come here, so they see every kind of bhava.
  9635. 124Kedar: I have no need to know many things.
  9636. 125Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Oh no, one needs a little of everything. If someone keeps a grocer's shop, he has to stock all kinds of things: some masur d…
  9637. 126"A master musician can play a little on every instrument."
  9638. 127The Master went to the tamarisk grove to answer the call of nature; a devotee carried the water pot there and left it.
  9639. 128The devotees are strolling here and there; some went towards the Master's room, some are coming back to the Panchavati. The Master came there and said…
  9640. 129The Man of Samadhi, Sri Ramakrishna, Remembers His Betel Box
  9641. 130The Master's betel box is still lying on the platform in the Panchavati, and one or two other things.
  9642. 131Sri Ramakrishna said to M., "Bring that box, and whatever else is there, to the room." Saying this, the Master Sri Ramakrishna began walking towards h…
  9643. 132After midday the Master has rested a little. A few devotees came and sat down. The Master is sitting on the small bedstead, leaning against a small bo…
  9644. 133Can the Bhavas of the Jnani and the Devotee Be in One Person? Spiritual Practice Is Needed
  9645. 134"Sir, can one know God's attributes, His gunas, through knowledge?"
  9646. 135The Master said, "Not by this knowledge. Can He be known just like that? One has to practise. And one has to take refuge in some one bhava. The bhava…
  9647. 136The devotee kept silent.
  9648. 137Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: You have two bhavas: you think on your own true Self, yes, and you also have the bhava of the served and the servant. Isn't…
  9649. 138The devotee, smiling and abashed: Yes, sir.
  9650. 139Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That's why Hazra says you can read all that's in a person's mind. That bhava comes when one has gone very far forward. Prahl…
  9651. 140"But to practise that bhava, one needs work.
  9652. 141"A man is gripping the thorns of a kul tree, and blood is streaming from his hand; but he says, 'Nothing has happened to me, it doesn't hurt!' Ask him…
  9653. 1Section Sixteen
  9654. 2Chapter One
  9655. 3Sri Ramakrishna's Birthday Festival at Dakshineswar: in the Joy of Kirtan with Narendra and Other Devotees
  9656. 4In the temple garden at Dakshineswar the Master Sri Ramakrishna is listening to a kirtan in the long north-east verandah: the gopis in the pasture, an…
  9657. 5As he listens to the kirtan the Master has gone into bhava. Sri Krishna is late in coming to take the cows out to graze. One of the cowherd boys says…
  9658. 6The kirtan singer takes up the song again. Sri Krishna is playing on his flute. The gopis and the cowherd boys hear the sound of the flute, and all ki…
  9659. 7The Master sits listening to the kirtan with the devotees. Suddenly his eyes fall on Narendra. Narendra is sitting close by; the Master stands up in s…
  9660. 8Coming back to the normal state, the Master sits down again. Narendra gets up and leaves the gathering. The kirtan goes on.
  9661. 9Sri Ramakrishna said to Baburam softly, "There is kshir in the room; go and give it to Narendra."
  9662. 10Was the Master seeing Narayana Himself in Narendra?
  9663. 11The kirtan over, Sri Ramakrishna has come to his own room, and he is lovingly feeding Narendra with sweets.
  9664. 12It is Girish's faith that God has come down as Sri Ramakrishna.
  9665. 13Girish, to Sri Ramakrishna: Everything you do is like Sri Krishna. Just as Sri Krishna used to play-act with Yasoda.
  9666. 14Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, Sri Krishna is an Avatar, you see. In God's play as man it is like that. On the one hand he had held up the hill of Govardhan, a…
  9667. 15Girish: I understand. Now I understand you.
  9668. 16New Clothes at the Birthday Festival, the Devotees' Service, and Samadhi
  9669. 17The Master is sitting on his small bedstead. It must be about eleven o'clock. Ram and other devotees are going to dress the Master in new clothes. The…
  9670. 18In that same room the devotees are making ready the Master's meal of rice and other dishes.
  9671. 19The Master asks Narendra to sing a little.
  9672. 20Narendra sings:
  9673. 21In the deep darkness, Mother, Your formless beauty flashes; And so the yogis meditate, dwelling in mountain caves. In the lap of endless darkness, on…
  9674. 22No sooner does Narendra sing, "Mother, who are You, sitting alone in the temple of samadhi?" than the Master is lost to the outer world, in samadhi. A…
  9675. 23The Master ate a little. When he had eaten, Ram said, "Nityagopal will eat from your leaf."
  9676. 24Sri Ramakrishna: From my leaf? Why from my leaf?
  9677. 25Ram: And you ask that! Won't he eat from your leaf?
  9678. 26Seeing Nityagopal in bhava, the Master fed him a mouthful or two with his own hand.
  9679. 27Now the devotees from Konnagar have come by boat. They enter the Master's room singing kirtan. When the kirtan is over they go outside for some refres…
  9680. 28"Songs like these are the ones to sing:
  9681. 29Nadia is shaking, shaking, On the waves of Gaur's love.
  9682. 30To Narottam: "With that you have to sing this:
  9683. 31Whose eyes stream when they say "Hari": they, they, the two brothers, are here. Who beg to give love though beaten: they, they, the two brothers, are…
  9684. 32"And this one has to be sung too:
  9685. 33Gaur and Nitai, You two brothers, You are supremely compassionate, O Lord! I have come, O Master, having heard that; They say You take even the outcas…
  9686. 34Chapter Two
  9687. 35Greeting the Devotees at the Birthday Festival
  9688. 36Now the devotees are taking prasad. They have had many kinds of prasad, chira, sweets and the rest, and are well satisfied. The Master says to M., "Di…
  9689. 37Sri Bipin Sarkar has come. The devotees say, "His name is Bipin Sarkar." The Master sits up and says humbly, "Give him a mat to sit on, and give him b…
  9690. 38Seeing Girindra, the Master said to Baburam, "Give him a mat." Seeing that Nityagopal had been sitting on the bare floor, the Master said, "Give him a…
  9691. 39Mahendra Kaviraj of Sinthi has come. Smiling, the Master signs to Rakhal: "Have him look at your hand."
  9692. 40To Sri Ramlal he says, "Make friends with Girish Ghosh, and then you'll get to see the theatre." Laughter.
  9693. 41Narendra had been talking a long while with Hazra Mahasay in the verandah outside. Since Narendra's father died there has been great hardship at home.…
  9694. 42The Master's Many Teachings to Narendra
  9695. 43Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: Were you sitting with Hazra? You are the woman far from home, and he the lovelorn one! Hazra too needs fifteen hundred r…
  9696. 44"Hazra says, 'Narendra has become sixteen annas of sattva, with a little reddish rajas! My pure sattva is seventeen annas.'" Everyone laughed.
  9697. 45"When I say, 'You only reason, and so you are dry,' he says, 'I drink the nectar of the sun, and so I am dry.'
  9698. 46"When I speak of pure bhakti, when I say that the pure devotee wants nothing, neither money nor riches, he says, 'When the flood of His grace comes, t…
  9699. 47Narendra and many other devotees are sitting on the floor of the Master's room; Girish too comes and sits down.
  9700. 48Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: I look on Narendra as the very form of the Atman; and I am at his bidding.
  9701. 49Girish: And whose bidding are you not at!
  9702. 50Narendra's Abode in the Indivisible
  9703. 51Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: His is the bhava of a man, the purusha, and mine the bhava of a woman, prakriti. Narendra's place is very high: his abode is…
  9704. 52Girish went out to smoke.
  9705. 53Narendra, to Sri Ramakrishna: I got to talking with Girish Ghosh; he is a very great man. Then, to M.: We were talking about you.
  9706. 54Sri Ramakrishna: What talk?
  9707. 55Narendra: That you have no book learning and we are all scholars; that sort of talk. Laughter.
  9708. 56Sri Ramakrishna and Narendra: Scholarship and the Scriptures
  9709. 57Mani Mallick, to the Master: You are a scholar without having read.
  9710. 58Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra and the others: I tell you truly, I am not the least sorry that I have not read the Vedanta and such scriptures. I know t…
  9711. 59"The essence of the scriptures must be learnt from the guru's lips. After that, spiritual discipline and worship. A man had written a letter. Before t…
  9712. 60Now Girish has come into the room.
  9713. 61Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: Well now, what were you all saying about me? I eat, drink and live, that's all.
  9714. 62Girish: What can I say about you? Are you a sadhu?
  9715. 63Sri Ramakrishna: Not a sadhu or anything of the kind. Truly, I have no sense of being a sadhu.
  9716. 64Girish: I can't beat you even at joking.
  9717. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Once I went to Jaygopal Sen's garden wearing a cloth with a red border. Keshab Sen was there. Seeing the red-bordered cloth, Keshab s…
  9718. 66Now there is to be more singing by Narendra. Sri Ramakrishna tells M. to lift the tanpura down for him. Narendra has been tuning the tanpura for a lon…
  9719. 67Vinod says, "Today there'll be tuning; the singing will be another day." Everyone laughed.
  9720. 68M.'s footnote: "Having known Him alone, let the wise brahmin gain wisdom. Let him not brood on many words, for that is weariness of speech." Brihadara…
  9721. 69Sri Ramakrishna laughs and says, "I feel like smashing the tanpura! What's all this twang, twang? And then there'll be 'tana nana nere num'."
  9722. 70Bhavanath: At the start of a yatra one gets fed up like that.
  9723. 71Narendra, still tuning: That's when one doesn't understand.
  9724. 72Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: There! He has blown us all away.
  9725. 73Narendra's Songs and Sri Ramakrishna's Bhava: Turned Within and Turned Without; Still Water and the Waves
  9726. 74Narendra is singing. The Master sits on his small bedstead and listens. Nityagopal and other devotees sit on the floor and listen.
  9727. 75First: You are awake within me, Mother, the Indweller, You hold me in Your lap day and night. Second: Sing the name of the Mother full of bliss, O my…
  9728. 76In bhava the Master has come down from the bedstead and sat beside Narendra. Still in bhava, he talks.
  9729. 77Sri Ramakrishna: Shall I sing? Pooh! Then, to Nityagopal: What do you say? It is to kindle the spirit that one listens; after that, what has come and…
  9730. 78"The fire has been kindled; that's good! After that, quiet. Very well, I am keeping quiet, and you keep quiet too.
  9731. 79"The point is to be immersed in the rasa of bliss.
  9732. 80"Shall I sing? All right, I may sing too. Water is water when it is still, and water when it rocks and sways."
  9733. 81Teaching to Narendra: "Go Beyond Knowledge and Ignorance"
  9734. 82Narendra is sitting near. There is hardship at his home, and so he is always anxious. He used to go to the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. He still reasons abo…
  9735. 83Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Narendra: You are "kha", like the sky; if only there were no "tekso"! Everyone laughed.
  9736. 84"Krishnakishore used to say, 'I am kha.' One day I went to his house and saw him sitting there anxious; he was hardly talking. I asked, 'What's the ma…
  9737. 85"So I tell you: you are kha; why do you worry so much? Do you know how it is? Sri Krishna says to Arjuna, 'Should one of the eight siddhis be yours, s…
  9738. 86"And one more thing: go beyond knowledge and ignorance. Many people say that so-and-so is a great jnani; in fact he is not. Vasishtha was so great a j…
  9739. 87M.'s footnote: Tax, that is, worry about the household.
  9740. 88Chapter Three
  9741. 89Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees; Teaching to Surendra; the Householder and the Dharma of Giving; the Yoga of the Mind and Karma Yoga
  9742. 90The Master Sri Ramakrishna has come and sat again on his small bedstead. The devotees are still sitting on the floor. Surendra is sitting near him. Th…
  9743. 91Sri Ramakrishna, to Surendra: Come now and then. Nangta used to say, a brass pot must be scoured daily, or else it will tarnish. Holy company is alway…
  9744. 92"For the sannyasi, the renunciation of woman and gold; for you it is not so. You will go into solitude now and then and call on Him with longing. You…
  9745. 93"Unless one is a heroic devotee one cannot keep to both sides. King Janaka, after spiritual discipline and worship, became perfect and lived in the wo…
  9746. 94Saying this, the Master sings:
  9747. 95This world is a house of fun; I eat and drink and make merry. King Janaka, great in his splendour, what did he lack? Keeping to this side and to that,…
  9748. 96"For you it is what Chaitanyadeva taught: compassion for living beings, service of the devotees, and singing the name.
  9749. 97"Why am I telling you this? You work for a 'house'; and you have a great deal of work to do. That is why I tell you.
  9750. 98M.'s footnote: House, a merchant's firm.
  9751. 99"You tell lies at your office; then why do I eat what you give? You give in charity; you give more than your income. The seed is thirteen cubits on a…
  9752. 100"I don't eat what a miser gives. His wealth flies off in these ways: first, in lawsuits; second, to thieves and robbers; third, in doctors' bills; fou…
  9753. 101"The charity you give is very good. Those who have money ought to give. The miser's wealth flies off; the giver's wealth is kept safe, it goes to good…
  9754. 102All the devotees are listening with one mind to these words on the dharma of giving from the Master's holy lips.
  9755. 103Surendra: My meditation doesn't go well. Now and then I say, "Mother, Mother"; and at bedtime I fall asleep saying "Mother, Mother".
  9756. 104Sri Ramakrishna: That's enough. There is remembrance and reflection, you see.
  9757. 105"The yoga of the mind and karma yoga. Doing work by the guru's teaching, worship, pilgrimage, service of living beings and so on, is called karma yoga…
  9758. 106"And again, I go into the Kali temple and think, 'Mother, You are the mind too!' So the pure mind, the pure buddhi, the pure Atman: all are one."
  9759. 107Evening is near; many of the devotees are bowing to the Master and going home. The Master has gone to the western verandah; Bhavanath and M. are with…
  9760. 108Sri Ramakrishna, to Bhavanath: Why do you come at such long, long intervals?
  9761. 109Bhavanath, smiling: Sir, I see you once a fortnight; the other day you yourself let me see you on the road, so I didn't come again.
  9762. 110Sri Ramakrishna: What's this! What comes of only seeing? Touching and talking are needed too.
  9763. 111Chapter Four
  9764. 112The Night of the Birthday Festival: in the Bliss of Love with Girish and Other Devotees
  9765. 113Evening has fallen. Now the sound of the deities' vesper service can be heard. Today is Phalgun's bright eighth; six or seven days from now, at the fu…
  9766. 114Evening has fallen. The tops of the temples, the courtyard, the garden, the tops of the trees, all have taken on a lovely beauty in the moonlight. The…
  9767. 115After the festival one or two devotees are still there. Narendra has already left.
  9768. 116The vesper service is over. Absorbed in bhava, the Master is pacing the long south-east verandah. M. too is standing there, looking at the Master. Sud…
  9769. 117The Tantra's Meditation on Mahakali: a Deep Meaning
  9770. 118M.: You mean that song, sir, "In the deep darkness"?
  9771. 119Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that song has a very deep meaning. It is as if my mind is still held by it.
  9772. 120M.: Yes, sir.
  9773. 121Sri Ramakrishna: Meditation in darkness: that is the view of the Tantra. Where then is the light of the sun?
  9774. 122Sri Girish Ghosh comes and stands there; the Master sings:
  9775. 123Is my Mother black? The Black One, clad in space, lights up the lotus of the heart.
  9776. 124Drunk with joy, the Master stands with his hand on Girish and sings:
  9777. 125Who cares for Gaya, the Ganges, Prabhasa, Kasi, Kanchi and the rest, If my breath runs out as I chant "Kali, Kali"? He who repeats "Kali" at the three…
  9778. 126The song: This time I have thought it out well; I have learnt bhava from one who knows bhava well. I have found a man from the land where there is no…
  9779. 127As he looks at Girish the Master's ecstasy seems to grow still more. Standing, he sings again:
  9780. 128I have given my life to the feet that grant fearlessness; Do I keep any fear of Death now? The great mantra of Kali's name I have tied to the topknot…
  9781. 129Drunk with bhava, the Master sings again:
  9782. 130Selling my body in the market of the world, I have bought the name of Sri Durga.
  9783. 131To Girish and the other devotees: "My body is full of bhava; it has taken my 'gyan' away.
  9784. 132"That 'gyan' means outer consciousness. Knowledge of Reality, knowledge of Brahman, all that is needed.
  9785. 133"Bhakti alone is the essence. There is bhakti with desire; and there is also desireless bhakti, pure bhakti, unmotivated bhakti. Keshab Sen and his pe…
  9786. 134Is Sri Ramakrishna an Avatar? The State of the Paramahamsa
  9787. 135"Then there is urjita bhakti, overflowing bhakti. It is as if the bhakti is brimming over. 'In bhava he laughs, weeps, dances and sings.' As with Chai…
  9788. 136Is the Master hinting at his own state? Is the Master an Avatar like Chaitanyadeva? He has come down to teach bhakti to the jivas.
  9789. 137Girish: If you give your grace, everything comes about. What I was, and what I have become!
  9790. 138Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, my dear, you had the samskaras; that is why it is happening. Unless the time is ripe, nothing happens. When the illness was getti…
  9791. 139"Lakshmana said to Lava and Kusa, 'You are mere children; you don't know Ramachandra. Ahalya had turned to stone, and by the touch of his feet she bec…
  9792. 140"Everything is happening by God's will. If you are awakened here, know me to be only the occasion. Uncle Moon is everybody's uncle. Everything happens…
  9793. 141M.'s footnote: "The man of faith who bears the marks of overflowing bhakti: by him I am seen in his heart day and night." Adhyatma Ramayana, the Rama…
  9794. 142Girish, smiling: By God's will, is it? That's just what I am saying too! Everyone laughed.
  9795. 143Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: If one is guileless, God is attained quickly. There are some who do not attain knowledge: first, one whose mind is crooked…
  9796. 144The Master is praising Nityagopal's state of bhava.
  9797. 145Three or four devotees are still standing near the Master in the long south-east verandah, listening to it all. The Master is describing the state of…
  9798. 1Section Seventeen
  9799. 2Chapter One
  9800. 3At Girish's House: on the Harmony of Jnana and Bhakti
  9801. 4The Master Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in Girish Ghosh's house at Bosepara, talking of God. It has struck three in the afternoon. M. come…
  9802. 5The Master had arrived a while before. M. was a little late in coming, as he had his work to finish. As soon as he came he saw that the Master was spe…
  9803. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish and the other devotees: Waking, dream, deep sleep: these are the jiva's three states.
  9804. 7"Those who reason on the path of knowledge brush aside all three states. They say that Brahman is beyond all three states; past the three bodies, gros…
  9805. 8M.'s footnote: Mandukya Upanishad.
  9806. 9"The knowers of Brahman say this too: as long as one thinks oneself the body, one sees two. Even the reflection seems real. When that idea goes, there…
  9807. 10A devotee: Then are we all to reason?
  9808. 11Two Paths, and Girish: Reasoning and Bhakti: Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga
  9809. 12Sri Ramakrishna: There is the path of reasoning too, the path of the Vedantists. And there is one more path: the bhakti path. Should the devotee weep…
  9810. 13"By both paths the knowledge of Brahman can come. Some keep bhakti even after the knowledge of Brahman, to teach mankind; the Avatars, for instance.
  9811. 14"But the idea that one is the body, the idea of 'I', does not go easily. It goes when, by His grace, one is in samadhi: nirvikalpa samadhi, jada samad…
  9812. 15"After samadhi the 'I' of the Avatars comes back again: the 'I' of knowledge, the 'I' of the devotee. With this 'I of knowledge' mankind is taught. Sa…
  9813. 16"With this 'I' Chaitanyadeva used to taste bhakti; he lived with bhakti and the devotees; he talked of God; he sang the name in sankirtan.
  9814. 17"The 'I' does not go easily, and so the devotee does not brush aside the states of waking, dream and the rest. The devotee takes all the states, and t…
  9815. 18"The devotee takes refuge in vidyamaya. He takes refuge in all these: holy company, places of pilgrimage, jnana, bhakti, renunciation. He says, 'If th…
  9816. 19"The devotee too gains the knowledge that all is one; he sees there is nothing at all apart from God. He does not say 'like a dream'; but he says that…
  9817. 20"But it is when bhakti is ripe that one feels like this. When much bile gathers one gets jaundice; then one sees everything yellow. Srimati, thinking…
  9818. 21"When the cockroach has become the kumure insect, then all is accomplished. Then indeed is liberation.
  9819. 22Worship in Many Bhavas, and Girish: "My Bhava of the Mother"
  9820. 23"As long as He has kept the 'I', so long must one take refuge in one bhava and call on Him: shanta, dasya, vatsalya, and the rest.
  9821. 24"For a year I lived in the bhava of a handmaid, the handmaid of Brahmamayi. I used to wear women's clothes, the scarf and all! And I used to wear a no…
  9822. 25"One must worship that Primal Sakti; one must please Her. It is She who has taken the forms of women. That is why mine is the bhava of the Mother.
  9823. 26"The bhava of the Mother is a very pure bhava. The Tantra speaks of the left-hand path too; but that is not good; it brings a fall. Keep enjoyment, an…
  9824. 27"The bhava of the Mother is like keeping the fast of Ekadasi without water: not a trace of enjoyment. Then there is the Ekadasi kept on fruit and root…
  9825. 28"This bhava of the Mother is the last word of spiritual practice: 'You are the Mother, I am Your child.' This is the last word.
  9826. 29The Hard Rules of the Sannyasi: the Rules of Householders, and Girish
  9827. 30"For a sannyasi it is the Ekadasi without water; if a sannyasi keeps enjoyment, then there is danger. Woman and gold are enjoyment. It is like spittin…
  9828. 31"To sit with women, or to talk with them long: that too has been called coupling! Coupling is of eight kinds. I am listening to women's talk, and enjo…
  9829. 32"It is a different matter for people of the world. After a child or two, they should live as brother and sister; for them the other seven kinds of cou…
  9830. 33"The householder has his debts: the debt to the gods, the debt to the forefathers, the debt to the rishis; and there is the debt to the wife as well:…
  9831. 34"People of the world cannot tell which is a good wife and which a bad one, which is vidyasakti and which avidyasakti. The good wife, vidyasakti, has l…
  9832. 35"Then men and women have other marks as well. Bad marks are a squint, sunken eyes, a missing rib, cat's eyes, calf's cheeks."
  9833. 36The Truth of Samadhi, and Girish: the Means to Attain God: Girish's Question
  9834. 37Girish: What is the way for us?
  9835. 38Sri Ramakrishna: Bhakti alone is the essence. And bhakti has its sattva, its rajas and its tamas.
  9836. 39"The sattva of bhakti is a humble, lowly bhava; the tamas of bhakti is like the bhava of a robber falling on a house: 'I am taking His name; what sin…
  9837. 40Girish, smiling: It is you who teach the tamas of bhakti!
  9838. 41Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: But there are signs of seeing Him. Samadhi comes. Samadhi is of five kinds: first, the movement of the ant: the great vital…
  9839. 42"Then there are two more kinds: first, sthita samadhi: wholly without outward consciousness; it lasts a long while, perhaps many days. Second, unmana…
  9840. 43Unmana Samadhi, and M.
  9841. 44To M.: "Have you understood that?"
  9842. 45M.: Yes, sir.
  9843. 46Girish: Is He to be attained by spiritual practice?
  9844. 47Sri Ramakrishna: People have attained Him in many ways! Some by much austerity, practice and worship: they are perfected by practice. Some are perfect…
  9845. 48Chapter Two
  9846. 49Girish's Calm Bhava: the Bhakti and Liberation of the Sudra in the Kaliyuga
  9847. 50Sri Ramakrishna: And there are the perfected by dreams and the perfected by grace.
  9848. 51With these words the Master, lost in bhava, begins to sing:
  9849. 52Does everyone win the treasure that is Syama? The foolish mind does not see what a hard thing this is. Even Siva cannot accomplish it: to steep the mi…
  9850. 53For some time the Master remains in bhava. Girish and the other devotees are before him. Some days earlier, at the Star Theatre, Girish had said a gre…
  9851. 54Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: This bhava of yours is very good: a calm bhava. That is why I said to the Mother, "Mother, make him calm, so that he doesn…
  9852. 55Girish, to M.: It is as if someone has gripped my tongue. He won't let me speak.
  9853. 56Sri Ramakrishna is still in bhava, his mind turned within. He seems to be forgetting, little by little, the people and things outside. Coming back a l…
  9854. 57To a young man from the neighbourhood: "Well! What do you think? What is a man's duty?"
  9855. 58All are silent. Is the Master saying that to attain God is the one purpose of life?
  9856. 59To Narayan: Won't you pass? "Free from the bonds is Siva; bound by the bonds, the jiva."
  9857. 60The Master is still in bhava. There was water in a glass near him, and he drank it. He says to himself, "Why, I drank the water in bhava!"
  9858. 61Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Atul: Longing
  9859. 62It is not yet dusk. The Master is talking with Sri Atul, Girish's brother. Atul is sitting right in front of him with the devotees. A Brahmin neighbou…
  9860. 63Sri Ramakrishna, to Atul: What I say to you is this: you are to do both. You are to live in the world, and you are to do what brings bhakti too.
  9861. 64The Brahmin neighbour: Can one be perfected without being a Brahmin?
  9862. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Why? There is talk of the bhakti of the Sudra in the Kaliyuga. There are Sabari, Ruidas, Guhaka the chandala and others like them.
  9863. 66Narayan, smiling: Brahmin, Sudra, all are one.
  9864. 67The Brahmin: Can it happen in a single birth?
  9865. 68Sri Ramakrishna: What cannot happen when He is gracious? When a light is brought into a room left dark for a thousand years, does the darkness leave b…
  9866. 69To Atul: "Intense renunciation is needed: like a sword drawn from its sheath. When that renunciation comes, one's kin seem like deadly snakes, and one…
  9867. 70"And one must call on Him with real longing from the heart. A call from the heart He will hear; He will surely hear it."
  9868. 71All are silent. Having listened with their whole mind to what the Master said, they are thinking it all over.
  9869. 72Sri Ramakrishna, to Atul: Why? That kind of grip doesn't come, I suppose: that longing?
  9870. 73Atul: Where does the mind stay put?
  9871. 74Sri Ramakrishna: Abhyasa yoga, the yoga of practice! One has to make a practice of calling on Him every day. It doesn't happen in one day; by calling…
  9872. 75"If one does nothing but worldly work day and night, how will longing come? Jadu Mallick, in earlier days, used to listen to talk of God gladly, and u…
  9873. 76The Master's Prayer at Dusk: Tejchandra
  9874. 77Dusk has come; the lamps have been lit in the room. Sri Ramakrishna is chanting the names of the deities, singing and praying.
  9875. 78He says, "Haribol, Haribol, Haribol"; then "Rama, Rama, Rama"; then "Nityalilamayi". "O Mother, tell me the way, Mother! I take refuge, I take refuge,…
  9876. 79Seeing Girish busy, the Master falls silent for a little while. He says to Tejchandra, "Come and sit near me for a bit."
  9877. 80Tejchandra sits beside him. After a while he whispers to M., "I have to go."
  9878. 81Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What is he saying?
  9879. 82M.: He is saying that he has to go home.
  9880. 83Sri Ramakrishna: Why do I draw them so much? They are pure vessels; worldliness has not entered them. With a worldly mind one cannot hold on to teachi…
  9881. 84"The cup in which you have mixed garlic: wash it a thousand times, and the smell of garlic does not go."
  9882. 85Chapter Three
  9883. 86Sri Ramakrishna at the Star Theatre: Seeing the Play Vrishaketu, with Narendra and Others
  9884. 87The Master Sri Ramakrishna will see the play Vrishaketu. On Beadon Street, where the Manomohan Theatre later stood, the Star Theatre used to play on t…
  9885. 88The Master Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Has Narendra come?
  9886. 89M.: Yes, sir.
  9887. 90The play goes on. Karna and Padmavati, holding the saw between them from either side, have sacrificed Vrishaketu. Weeping all the while, Padmavati has…
  9888. 91One of the devotees let out a faint cry of sympathy. The Master too expressed his sorrow at the same time.
  9889. 92When the play was over the Master went to the rest room of the theatre. Girish, Narendra and other devotees were sitting there. Sri Ramakrishna came i…
  9890. 93In Bhava at the Sound of the Concert, or the Shehnai
  9891. 94The Master has sat down. The sound of the orchestra, the concert, can still be heard.
  9892. 95Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Hearing this music I feel joy. There, at Dakshineswar, the shehnai used to play, and I used to be overcome with bhav…
  9893. 96Girish, and "I" and "Mine"
  9894. 97When the concert stopped Sri Ramakrishna began to talk again.
  9895. 98Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: Is this your theatre, or all of yours?
  9896. 99Girish: Ours, sir.
  9897. 100Sri Ramakrishna: "Ours" is the good word; to say "mine" is not good! Some say, "I have come of myself"; it is people of mean understanding, full of eg…
  9898. 101Sri Ramakrishna with Narendra and Others
  9899. 102Narendra: Everything is theatre.
  9900. 103Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, yes, that's right. But in some places it is the play of vidya, in others the play of avidya.
  9901. 104Narendra: All of it is vidya's.
  9902. 105Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, yes; but that comes with the knowledge of Brahman. For bhakti and the devotee there are both: vidyamaya and avidyamaya.
  9903. 106Sri Ramakrishna: Sing a little.
  9904. 107Narendra sings:
  9905. 108On the waters of the ocean of Consciousness and Bliss, waves of the bliss of prema. Mahabhava, the Rasa play: oh, what sweetness, what sweetness! Deli…
  9906. 109When Narendra sings, "In the great union all has become one," Sri Ramakrishna says, "This comes with the knowledge of Brahman; what you were saying, t…
  9907. 110When Narendra sings, "Wild with joy, raise both your arms, my mind, and say Hari, Hari," Sri Ramakrishna says to Narendra, "Sing that twice."
  9908. 111When the song was over the talk with the devotees went on again.
  9909. 112Girish: Devendra Babu has not come. He says, hurt, "Inside us there is no filling of kshir, it's a filling of kalai pulse. What would we do if we came…
  9910. 113Sri Ramakrishna, astonished: Why, he never used to behave like that before, did he?
  9911. 114The Master is taking some refreshment, and he gave some to Narendra as well.
  9912. 115Jatin Dev, to Sri Ramakrishna: "Narendra, eat," "Narendra, eat," you keep saying; we wretches have floated in on the tide!
  9913. 116The Master loves Jatin dearly. He goes to Dakshineswar now and then to see him; sometimes he stays the night there too. He is a son of the house of th…
  9914. 117Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Narendra: Hey, it's you that he, Jatin, is talking about!
  9915. 118Laughing, the Master took Jatin by the chin and, caressing him, said, "Go there, and eat when you get there!" That is, "Go to Dakshineswar!" The Maste…
  9916. 119Girish's Doctrine of the Avatar: Is Sri Ramakrishna an Avatar?
  9917. 120After listening for a while his mind wanders elsewhere. He is talking quietly with M.
  9918. 121Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell me, what Girish Ghosh says, that is, about the Avatar: is it true?
  9919. 122M.: Yes, sir, it is true. Otherwise why would it strike everyone so?
  9920. 123Sri Ramakrishna: You see, a state is coming over me now; the old state has been turned over. I cannot touch things of metal.
  9921. 124M. listens in wonder.
  9922. 125Sri Ramakrishna: This new state has a very secret meaning.
  9923. 126The Master cannot touch metal. The Avatar, it seems, enjoys nothing at all of maya's riches; is that why the Master is saying all this?
  9924. 127Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell me, do you see any change in my state?
  9925. 128M.: Where, sir?
  9926. 129Sri Ramakrishna: In the work?
  9927. 130M.: The work is growing now; more and more people are coming to know.
  9928. 131Sri Ramakrishna: You see! What I used to say before is coming true now?
  9929. 132After a short silence the Master suddenly says, "Tell me, why can't Paltu meditate well?"
  9930. 133Is Girish a Cup in Which Garlic Has Been Mixed? The Lord's Message of Hope for So-called "Sinners"
  9931. 134Now preparations are being made for the Master's return to Dakshineswar.
  9932. 135The Master had said of Girish to a certain devotee, "A cup in which garlic has been mixed: wash it a thousand times, and does the smell of garlic ever…
  9933. 136Girish, to Sri Ramakrishna: Will the smell of garlic go?
  9934. 137Sri Ramakrishna: It will go.
  9935. 138Girish: So you said, "It will go"?
  9936. 139Sri Ramakrishna: When such a fire blazes, the smell and all the rest of it fly away. Bake the garlic cup in the fire and no smell is left; it becomes…
  9937. 140"He who says, 'It will not happen for me,' for him it does not happen. He who holds himself free becomes free indeed, and he who holds himself bound b…
  9938. 1Section Twenty-Three
  9939. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Dakshineswar on the Day of the Dol Yatra
  9940. 3Chapter One
  9941. 4Sri Ramakrishna on the Day of the Dol Yatra, and Bhakti Yoga
  9942. 5Today is the Dol Yatra, the birthday of Sri Sri Mahaprabhu, the nineteenth of Phalgun, the full moon, Sunday the first of March, 1885. Sri Ramakrishna…
  9943. 6The devotees are watching him with fixed eyes. The samadhi broke. Now his bhava is at its full. The Master is speaking to Mahimacharan: "Babu, the wor…
  9944. 7Mahima: If Hari is worshipped, what need of austerity? If Hari is not worshipped, what use is austerity? If Hari is within and without, what need of a…
  9945. 8"It is in the Narada Pancharatra. Narada was practising austerities, and a voice came from heaven:
  9946. 9"'If Hari is worshipped, then what need is there of austerity? And if Hari is not worshipped, then what need is there of austerity either? If Hari is…
  9947. 10The Isvarakoti; Sukadeva Coming Out of Samadhi; Hanuman and Prahlada
  9948. 11Sri Ramakrishna: "There are jivakotis and Isvarakotis. The devotion of the jivakotis is vaidhi bhakti, devotion by rule. Worship must be done with so…
  9949. 12"With the Isvarakotis it is a separate matter: it is like anuloma and viloma. Going 'Not this, not this', they reach the roof, and when they see that…
  9950. 13"Sukadeva was in samadhi. Nirvikalpa samadhi: jada samadhi. The Lord sent Narada: Parikshit had to be told the Bhagavata. Narada saw Sukadeva sitting…
  9951. 14"Hanuman realized the one with form and the formless, and stayed devoted to the form of Rama. That form of Rama is the form of bliss, Consciousness ma…
  9952. 15"Prahlada would sometimes see 'I am He', and again sometimes he would live in the bhava of a servant. If one does not take up devotion, what is one to…
  9953. 16* "He indeed is rasa. Having gained rasa, one becomes blissful. Who could live, who could breathe, if this bliss were not in the akasa?" Taittiriya Up…
  9954. 17"The 'I of devotion', the 'I of knowledge', the 'I of a child': there is no harm in these. Sankaracharya kept the 'I of knowledge', for teaching the p…
  9955. 18"'You are God, I am the devotee': this is the devotee's bhava; this 'I' is the 'I of devotion'. Why does one keep the 'I of devotion'? There is a mean…
  9956. 19"Reason a thousand times, the 'I' does not go. The pot of the 'I'. Brahman is like the ocean: water within water. Water inside and outside the pot. Wa…
  9957. 20Chapter Two
  9958. 21The Master Sri Ramakrishna and His Teaching to Narendra on Sannyasa
  9959. 22Narendra came, bowed and sat down. Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Narendra. As he talked he came and sat on the floor. A mat is spread on the floor.…
  9960. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: Are you well? They say you often go to Girish Ghosh's place?
  9961. 24Narendra: Yes, sir, now and then I go.
  9962. 25Girish has been coming to the Master Sri Ramakrishna for some months now, as a newcomer. The Master says that Girish's faith is beyond one's grasp. As…
  9963. 26Sri Ramakrishna: "Do you go to Girish Ghosh's place a great deal?
  9964. 27Who Is Fit for Sannyasa; Renunciation from Boyhood; Which Class Girish Is Of; Yoga and Enjoyment in the Nature of Ravana and the Asuras
  9965. 28"But wash a cup that has held garlic as much as you like, a little of the smell will stay. The boys are pure vessels! They have not touched woman and…
  9966. 29"It is like a mango pecked by a crow. It cannot be offered to the deities, and one has doubts about it oneself. A new pot and a pot in which curd has…
  9967. 30"They are a class apart. They have yoga, and they have enjoyment too. Like Ravana's bhava: he will take the daughters of the nagas and the daughters o…
  9968. 31"The asuras enjoy all kinds of pleasures, and they gain Narayana as well."
  9969. 32Narendra: Girish Ghosh has given up his old company.
  9970. 33Sri Ramakrishna: "He has become a bullock late in the day. I saw it in Burdwan. A bullock was going up to a cow; seeing it I asked, 'What is this? Thi…
  9971. 34"In one place some sannyasis are sitting, and a woman is walking past that way. All of them are thinking of God, but one looked at her out of the corn…
  9972. 35"If garlic is mixed in a cup, does the smell of garlic go? Does a babui tree bear mangoes? It can happen, if one has that kind of occult power: then a…
  9973. 36"Where is the leisure of worldly people? A man wanted a pandit for the Bhagavata. His friend said, 'There is an excellent pandit of the Bhagavata, but…
  9974. 37"A king used to hear the Bhagavata every day. When the reading was over the pandit would say to the king, 'King, have you understood?' And every day t…
  9975. 38"Then do I despise these people? No; then I bring in the knowledge of Brahman. He has become everything: all are Narayana. Every womb is the Mother's…
  9976. 39All Customers for Kalai Dal; Under the Sway of Beauty and Riches
  9977. 40"What shall I say? I see that they are all customers for kalai dal. They won't give up woman and gold. People are bewitched by a woman's beauty, they…
  9978. 41"Someone said to Ravana, 'You go to Sita in every other form; why don't you take the form of Rama?' Ravana said, 'Once you see the form of Rama in you…
  9979. 42"All are customers for kalai dal. Unless the vessel is pure there is no pure devotion to God: there is no single aim, the mind stays on many things.
  9980. 43The Nepali Girl, the Handmaid of God; the Worldly Man's Servitude
  9981. 44To Manomohan: "Be angry, or do what you will: I told Rakhal, 'That you had jumped into the Ganges for God and died: that I would sooner hear; but that…
  9982. 45"A girl from Nepal came. She played the esraj beautifully and sang. She sang the name of Hari. Someone asked, 'Are you married?' At that she said, 'Wh…
  9983. 46"Staying within woman and gold, how can it come about? To be unattached is very hard. On one side he is his wife's slave, on another the slave of mone…
  9984. 47"A fakir used to live in a hut in the forest. At that time Akbar Shah was the emperor of Delhi. Many people used to come to the fakir. He wanted very…
  9985. 48Of Former Days: Hriday Mukherji's Shouting; the Master's State of Sattva
  9986. 49Narendra: Girish Ghosh thinks of nothing but these things now.
  9987. 50Sri Ramakrishna: "He is very good. But why does he swear so much and use foul language? That is not my state. When a thunderbolt falls, the heavy thin…
  9988. 51Does Narendra Call Him an Avatar? Narendra Is of the Class of the Renouncers; Narendra's Father's Death
  9989. 52"Did what Girish Ghosh says agree with you?"
  9990. 53Narendra: I said nothing; he himself says it is his faith that you are an Avatar. I said nothing more.
  9991. 54Sri Ramakrishna: But he has great faith! Have you seen it?
  9992. 55The devotees are watching with fixed eyes. The Master is still sitting down on the mat. Near him is M., before him Narendra, and on every side the dev…
  9993. 56The Master is silent for a little while, looking at Narendra tenderly.
  9994. 57After a while he said to Narendra, "My child, without renouncing woman and gold it will not do." As he spoke he was filled with bhava. With that look…
  9995. 58I fear to speak, and I fear not to speak. A doubt rises in my mind that I may lose you, my treasure, lose you. The mantra we know, we will give to you…
  9996. 59It is as if Sri Ramakrishna were afraid: it seems Narendra has become someone else's; it seems he has not become mine! Narendra is looking at him with…
  9997. 60A devotee from outside had come to see the Master. He too was sitting close by, watching and listening to everything.
  9998. 61The devotee: Sir, if woman and gold must be renounced, then what is a householder to do?
  9999. 62Sri Ramakrishna: Well, don't you do it! It was just something that came up between us.
  10000. 63Fearlessness Given to the Householder Devotee, and a Rousing
  10001. 64Mahimacharan is sitting silent, without a word.
  10002. 65Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: Go forward! Go on further, you will find sandalwood; go on further still, you will find a silver mine; go further, you wil…
  10003. 66Mahima: Sir, it holds one back: it won't let one go forward!
  10004. 67Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Why, cut the reins, cut them by the power of His name. 'By the name of Kali the noose of Death is cut.' * * *
  10005. 68Since his father's death Narendra has been suffering greatly in the world. Many blows are falling on him. The Master now and then looks at Narendra. T…
  10006. 69"'Kill a hundred and you are a vaidya; kill a thousand and you are a physician.'" Everyone laughed.
  10007. 70What the Master is saying is that at this age Narendra has seen and heard a great deal, and has come to know much of happiness and sorrow.
  10008. 71Narendra smiled a little and stayed silent.
  10009. 72Chapter Three
  10010. 73The Holy Dol Yatra: Sri Ramakrishna Offers Abir to Radhakanta and Mother Kali and Puts It on the Devotees
  10011. 74Nabai Chaitanya is singing. The devotees are all sitting there. The Master had been sitting on the small bedstead; suddenly he got up. He went out of…
  10012. 75M. went along with the Master. The Master is going across the paved courtyard towards the Kali temple. He went into the temple of Radhakanta first. Ly…
  10013. 76Now he is going to the Kali temple. Passing the first seven steps, he stood on the platform, looked at the Mother, and went inside. He offered abir to…
  10014. 77The Master is going back across the paved courtyard. With him M. and one other person are coming, carrying the plate of abir in their hands. Entering…
  10015. 78He came into the room. He put abir on all the devotees. Everyone began to bow down.
  10016. 79It was afternoon! The devotees began to stroll about here and there. The Master is talking with M. in a low voice. There is no one near! He is speakin…
  10017. 80"How does Narendra seem to you? He is quite guileless; but many blows of the world have fallen on him, so he is a little held down; that won't last."
  10018. 81Now and then the Master goes out onto the verandah; Narendra is arguing with a Vedantist.
  10019. 82By degrees the devotees are gathering in the room again. He asked Mahimacharan to recite a hymn. He is reciting a hymn from the Mahanirvana Tantra, th…
  10020. 83In the lotus of the heart, without attributes, without desire, known to Hari, Hara and Brahma, reached by the yogis in meditation, destroyer of the fe…
  10021. 84Fearlessness for the Householder
  10022. 85After one or two more hymns, Mahimacharan is reciting Sankaracharya's hymn, which speaks of the well of the world and the wilderness of the world. Mah…
  10023. 86O you with the moon on your crest, slayer of Madana, bearer of the trident, steadfast one, Lord of the mountain, Lord of Girija, Sambhu, Lord of being…
  10024. 87Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: "The well of the world, the wilderness of the world: why say that? That has to be said at first, in the early days. Once y…
  10025. 88This world is a house of fun. I eat and drink and make merry. King Janaka, mighty in power, in what was he lacking? He kept to this side and that, bot…
  10026. 89"What fear? Hold on to him. What if it is a thicket of thorns? You put shoes on your feet and go into the thicket of thorns, don't you? What is there…
  10027. 90"King Janaka used to wield two swords: one of knowledge, and one of work. The seasoned player has nothing to fear."
  10028. 91Talk of God goes on in this way. The Master is sitting on the small bedstead. M. is sitting beside the bedstead.
  10029. 92The Master, to M.: What he said: that is what is holding him back!
  10030. 93The Master is speaking of Mahimacharan, and of the verse he had recited on the knowledge of Brahman. Nabai Chaitanya and the other devotees are singin…
  10031. 94At the end of the kirtan the Master says, "This is the work; all else is false. Prema-bhakti is real, and all else is unreal."
  10032. 95Chapter Four
  10033. 96Sri Ramakrishna on the Day of the Dol Yatra: Talk of Hidden Things
  10034. 97It is late afternoon. The Master has gone to the Panchavati. He is asking M. about Vinod. Vinod used to study at M.'s school. Thinking on God, Vinod n…
  10035. 98Now the Master is going back to his room, talking with M. as he goes. Coming near the ghat by the bakul tree, he said, "Well, some people are saying '…
  10036. 99Talking as he went, he reached the room. He took off his slippers and sat down on the small bedstead. On the east side of the bedstead there is a door…
  10037. 100Sri Ramakrishna: What do you say?
  10038. 101M.: Sir, that is what I feel too. Just as Chaitanyadeva was.
  10039. 102Sri Ramakrishna: Full, or a part, or a fraction? Tell me the weight, won't you?
  10040. 103M.: Sir, I can't make out the weight. But His Sakti has descended. He is there in any case.
  10041. 104Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, Chaitanyadeva asked for Sakti.
  10042. 105The Master stayed silent for a while. The next moment he says, "But the six arms?"
  10043. 106M. is thinking: Chaitanyadeva had become six-armed; the devotees had seen it. Why did the Master mention this?
  10044. 107Of Former Days: The Master's Madness, and His Weeping to the Mother; He Does Not Like Argument and Reasoning
  10045. 108The devotees are sitting not far off, inside the room. Narendra is arguing. Ram Datta has only just recovered from an illness, and he too is arguing f…
  10046. 109Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "I don't like all this reasoning." To Ram: "Stop! You are ill as it is! All right, gently, gently." To M.: "I don't like all t…
  10047. 1Section Twelve
  10048. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Temple at Dakshineswar
  10049. 3Chapter One
  10050. 4The Master Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar
  10051. 5Rakhal, Bhavanath, Narendra, Baburam
  10052. 6Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees, full of joy. Baburam, the younger Naren, Paltu, Haripada, Mohinimohan: these and other devotees are sitt…
  10053. 7Holy Mother is staying in the nahabat these days. She comes to the temple garden from time to time, to serve Sri Ramakrishna. Mohinimohan has come by…
  10054. 8The women have gone to the nahabat, seen Holy Mother and bowed to her, and they are staying there. When the devotees move away a little, they will com…
  10055. 9Rakhal does not live at Dakshineswar now. He was in Vrindavan with Balaram for some months. Since coming back he has been at home.
  10056. 10Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Rakhal is drawing a pension now. Since he came back from Vrindavan he lives at home. He has a wife at home. But then he has…
  10057. 11"He used to lie here and say: Even you I don't like. Such was the state he had come to.
  10058. 12"Bhavanath has married, but the whole night through he talks with his wife of nothing but religion! The two of them live on talk of God. I said: Have…
  10059. 13Now the Master speaks of Narendra.
  10060. 14Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: But the longing I had for Narendra I have not had so much for this one, the younger Naren.
  10061. 15To Haripada: "You go to Girish Ghosh's house, do you?"
  10062. 16Haripada: His house is near ours; I go there very often.
  10063. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Does Narendra go?
  10064. 18Haripada: Yes, now and then I see him there.
  10065. 19Sri Ramakrishna: What Girish Ghosh says, that is, his saying 'Avatar': what does he say to that?
  10066. 20Haripada: He has been beaten in argument.
  10067. 21Sri Ramakrishna: No, he, Narendra, said: Girish Ghosh has such faith now—why should I say anything?
  10068. 22The brother of the son-in-law of Anukul Mukhopadhyay, the judge, has come.
  10069. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know Narendra?
  10070. 24The son-in-law's brother: Yes, sir. Narendra is an intelligent lad!
  10071. 25Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: He is a good man, since he has spoken well of Narendra. Narendra came the other day. He sang with Trailokya that day…
  10072. 26Baburam and "Keeping to Both Sides"; Go Beyond Knowledge and Ignorance
  10073. 27The Master is looking at Baburam as he talks. Baburam is in the Entrance class at the school where M. teaches.
  10074. 28Sri Ramakrishna, to Baburam: "Your books, where are they? Won't you do your studies?" To M.: "He wants to keep to both sides."
  10075. 29"It is a very hard path. What good will it do to know Him a little! Vasishthadeva: even he grieved for the loss of a son! Lakshmana saw it and in amaz…
  10076. 30Baburam, smiling: That is what I want.
  10077. 31Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Oh, can that be done by keeping to both sides? If you want that, then come away!
  10078. 32Baburam, smiling: You bring me!
  10079. 33Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Rakhal was another matter; his father was willing. If these boys stay, there will be trouble.
  10080. 34To Baburam: "You are weak! You have little courage! Look at the younger Naren: how he says: I will come once for all and stay!"
  10081. 35By now the Master has come down among the young devotees and is sitting on the mat on the floor. M. is sitting near him.
  10082. 36Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I am searching for someone who has given up woman and gold. I think: This one, I suppose, will stay! Everyone makes some excus…
  10083. 37"A ghost was looking for a companion. Whoever dies an untimely death on a Saturday or a Tuesday becomes a ghost; so the moment that ghost saw someone…
  10084. 38"Just see, Rakhal keeps saying, 'My wife, my wife.' He says: What will become of my wife? Narendra lost consciousness when a hand was put on his chest…
  10085. 39"Why has He kept me in this state? Chaitanyadeva took sannyasa so that everyone would bow down to him; those who once bowed to him would be saved."
  10086. 40Mohinimohan has brought sandesh in a basket for the Master.
  10087. 41Sri Ramakrishna: Whose sandesh is this?
  10088. 42Baburam pointed to Mohini.
  10089. 43The Master uttered Om and touched the sandesh; he took a little of it and so made it prasad. Then he took the sandesh and gave it to the devotees. How…
  10090. 44Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: There is a meaning in this. Narayana is more manifest in those of pure soul. When I used to go to that part of the country, I…
  10091. 45Chapter Two
  10092. 46In the Temple of Samadhi: Great Words about the Devotees
  10093. 47The Master Sri Ramakrishna, having the devotees of pure soul about him, is floating in joy; sitting on his small bedstead, he shows them the airs of a…
  10094. 48At the sight of this acting all the devotees break into roars of laughter. Paltu is rolling about with laughter. The Master looks at Paltu and says to…
  10095. 49Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Paltu: Don't tell your father about all this. The little attraction he had for me will go too. They are Englishman folk t…
  10096. 50What People Talk of at Their Daily Worship, Their Japa and Their Bath in the Ganges
  10097. 51To the devotees: "Many people, while they do their daily worship, talk of everything under the sun; but they must not speak, so they keep their lips s…
  10098. 52"And someone is telling beads; and in the middle of it haggling over fish! Still telling the beads, he will perhaps point with a finger: That fish the…
  10099. 53"Someone, perhaps, has come to bathe in the Ganges. Where they should be thinking of God at that time, down they sat to gossip! Gossip about everythin…
  10100. 54"Just see where they have come: to bathe in the Ganges! And it is all worldly talk!"
  10101. 55The Master is gazing fixedly at the younger Naren. As he gazes he passes into samadhi! Is the Master seeing Narayana within the devotee of pure soul?
  10102. 56The devotees are gazing fixedly at that picture of samadhi. There had been so much laughter and merriment; now everyone is silent, as though there wer…
  10103. 57A little later the samadhi breaks. The Master's breath had stopped; now he lets out a long breath. Little by little his mind is coming back to the out…
  10104. 58He is still in the state of bhava. Now he addresses each devotee in turn and tells him something of what will come to him and of the state each one is…
  10105. 59The younger Naren: Bhakti alone.
  10106. 60Sri Ramakrishna: "Without knowing, whom will you have bhakti for?" Pointing to M., smiling: "If you don't know him, how will you have bhakti for him?"…
  10107. 61"Bhakti does not come of itself unless there are samskaras. This is the sign of prema-bhakti. Jnana-bhakti is bhakti that reasons.
  10108. 62To the younger Naren: "Let me see, let me see your body; take off your shirt, let me see. A fine broad chest. Then it will come. Come now and then."
  10109. 63The Master is still in bhava. Addressing the other devotees one by one, tenderly, he speaks again.
  10110. 64To Paltu: "It will come to you too. But a little later.
  10111. 65To Baburam: "Why am I not drawing you? In the end there would be some trouble or other!
  10112. 66To Mohinimohan: "You are here already! A little remains; when that little goes, nothing is left, no work, no duties, no household. Is it good for ever…
  10113. 67Saying this he kept his eyes fixed on him tenderly, as though he were seeing every feeling in the innermost depths of his heart! Was Mohinimohan think…
  10114. 68Now he addresses the young Brahmin.
  10115. 69The Path of Knowledge and the Path of Bhakti; the State of the Knower of Brahman, and "Free While Living"
  10116. 70Sri Ramakrishna, to the youth: You give up this cultivation of knowledge; take up bhakti. Bhakti alone is the essence! Is it three days today?
  10117. 71The young Brahmin, with folded hands: Yes, sir.
  10118. 72Sri Ramakrishna: Have faith, have reliance; then you yourself need do nothing! Mother Kali will do everything!
  10119. 73"Knowledge can go as far as the outer quarters. Bhakti goes into the inner quarters. The pure Self is unattached; vidya and avidya, both are in Him, a…
  10120. 74"Just then Vyasadeva said: I am very hungry. So the gopis began to feed him their thickened milk, cream and butter, all of it. Vyasadeva ate up nearly…
  10121. 75"Then Vyasadeva spoke to the Jamuna: 'O Jamuna! If I have eaten nothing, then your waters will part in two, and we shall go across by the road between…
  10122. 76"'I have not eaten' means this: I am that pure Self, and the pure Self is unattached, beyond Prakriti. He has no hunger or thirst! He has no birth or…
  10123. 77"He who has this knowledge of Brahman is free while living! He understands rightly that the Self is one thing and the body another. When God is seen,…
  10124. 78"But when they are ripe, the betel nut or the almond comes apart from the skin. When they ripen, the sap dries up. When the knowledge of Brahman comes…
  10125. 79"But that knowledge is very hard. Just by saying it, one doesn't have the knowledge of Brahman! Some pretend to knowledge." Smiling: "There was a man…
  10126. 80Chapter Three
  10127. 81"For the Establishing of Dharma I Come into Being Age after Age": Secret Talk
  10128. 82With the devotees, Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on a mat on the floor. His face is smiling. He says to the devotees: Stroke my feet a little, will you?…
  10129. 83Then, laying his hand on his own heart, he says, "If there is anything within this, then by serving the feet, ignorance and avidya go away altogether.…
  10130. 84Suddenly Sri Ramakrishna became grave, as though he were about to tell something secret.
  10131. 85Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: No one else is here. The other day—Harish was nearby—I saw Satchidananda leave the sheath, the body, and come outside, and It…
  10132. 86The devotees are all listening in amazement. Some are thinking: Has God, Satchidananda, taken the form of Sri Ramakrishna and is He sitting here near…
  10133. 87Sri Ramakrishna is speaking. Addressing M., he says again, "I saw: it is a full manifestation. But it is the splendour of sattva."
  10134. 88The devotees are all listening in amazement to these words.
  10135. 89Yogamaya, the Primal Sakti, and the Lila of the Avatar
  10136. 90Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Just now I was telling the Mother: I can't talk on any more. And I was saying, "Mother, let people be awakened by a single tou…
  10137. 91"Well, is something happening to those who come?"
  10138. 92M.: Yes, sir, of course it is.
  10139. 93Sri Ramakrishna: How did you come to know?
  10140. 94M., smiling: Everyone says that those who go to him never turn back!
  10141. 95Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "A bullfrog had fallen into the clutches of a water snake. It can't swallow it and it can't let it go! And the bullfrog's ag…
  10142. 96To the young devotees: "Read that book of Trailokya's, the Bhakti Chaitanya Chandrika. Why not ask him for a copy? It has fine things about Chaitanyad…
  10143. 97A devotee: Will he give it?
  10144. 98Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Why, if a cucumber field has a heavy crop, the owner can give away two or three!" Everyone laughed. "Won't he give them jus…
  10145. 99Sri Ramakrishna, to Paltu: Come here now and then.
  10146. 100Paltu: I'll come when I can.
  10147. 101Sri Ramakrishna: Wherever I go in Calcutta, will you go there?
  10148. 102Paltu: I'll go; I'll try.
  10149. 103Sri Ramakrishna: There's a patoari for you!
  10150. 104Paltu: If I didn't say "I'll try", it would be a lie.
  10151. 105Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I don't count their lies; they are not free.
  10152. 106The Master is talking with Haripada.
  10153. 107Sri Ramakrishna, to Haripada: Why doesn't Mahendra Mukherji come?
  10154. 108Haripada: I can't say for certain.
  10155. 109M., smiling: He is practising jnana yoga.
  10156. 110Sri Ramakrishna: No; the other day he said he would send a carriage, to show the Prahlada Charitra. But he did not send it; that, I suppose, is why he…
  10157. 111M.: He met Mahim Chakravarti one day and talked with him. I think it is because he comes and goes there.
  10158. 112Sri Ramakrishna: Why, Mahim talks of bhakti too. He keeps saying this: "If Hari is worshipped, what need of austerity?"
  10159. 113M., smiling: He says it because you make him say it!
  10160. 114Sri Girish Ghosh has lately begun to come and go to the Master. These days he lives in talk of the Master.
  10161. 115Hari: Girish Ghosh sees all kinds of things these days. Ever since he went from here he is always in a bhava of God; and the things he sees!
  10162. 116Sri Ramakrishna: That may well be. When you go near the Ganges you see many things: boats, ships, all sorts.
  10163. 117Hari: Girish Ghosh says, "Now I will keep to work alone: in the morning I will look at the clock and sit down with pen and ink, and the whole day I wi…
  10164. 118It is five o'clock. The younger Naren is going home. The Master stands with him on the long north-eastern verandah, in private, and gives him all kind…
  10165. 119Sri Ramakrishna, sitting on his small bedstead, is talking with Mohini. The wife has been like one mad since the grief of losing a son. Sometimes she…
  10166. 120Sri Ramakrishna: How is your wife now?
  10167. 121Mohini: The moment she comes here she grows calm, but there she sometimes makes a great to-do. The other day she went to kill herself.
  10168. 122Hearing this the Master remained anxious for a while. Mohini said humbly, "You will have to say a word or two."
  10169. 123Sri Ramakrishna: Don't let her cook. That makes her head hotter still. And keep people with her.
  10170. 124Chapter Four
  10171. 125Sri Ramakrishna's Wonderful State of Sannyasa; Tarak's Story
  10172. 126Evening has come. In the temple garden the arati is being made ready. The light has been lit in Sri Ramakrishna's room and incense offered. Sitting on…
  10173. 127The Master got up. M. too stood up. Pointing to the doors on the west and the north of the room, the Master said to M., "Shut those sides, the doors."…
  10174. 128The Master said, "I'll just go to the Kali temple." Saying this he took M.'s hand and, leaning on him, came to the platform in front of the Kali templ…
  10175. 129Having seen Mother Kali, the Master is going back to his room across the great courtyard. On his lips: "Mother! Mother! Rajarajeswari!"
  10176. 130Coming into the room, he sat down on his small bedstead.
  10177. 131A wonderful state has come upon the Master. He cannot touch anything made of metal. He had said, "Mother, I suppose, is taking the whole business of w…
  10178. 132Prasanna had brought some earthen cups, but they were very small. The Master says, laughing, "The cups are very small. But the boy is a fine one. At m…
  10179. 133"The Devotee and Woman"; "Holy Man, Beware"
  10180. 134Tarak of Belgharia came with a friend.
  10181. 135The Master is sitting on his small bedstead. A lamp is burning in the room. M. and one or two other devotees are sitting there too.
  10182. 136Tarak has married. His father and mother do not let him come to the Master. He has lodgings in Calcutta near Bowbazar, and these days Tarak mostly sta…
  10183. 137Sri Ramakrishna, to Tarak's friend: Why not just go and see all the temples?
  10184. 138The friend: I have seen all that.
  10185. 139Sri Ramakrishna: Well, is it bad that Tarak comes here?
  10186. 140The friend: That you know.
  10187. 141Sri Ramakrishna: This gentleman, M., is a headmaster.
  10188. 142The friend: Oh.
  10189. 143The Master asks after Tarak's welfare. And he talks to him at length. After much conversation Tarak gets ready to take his leave. The Master is warnin…
  10190. 144Sri Ramakrishna, to Tarak: Sadhu, beware! Be on your guard against woman and gold! Once you drown in the maya of woman, there is no rising again. It i…
  10191. 145Tarak: At home they don't let me come.
  10192. 146A devotee: Suppose someone's mother says: Don't you go to Dakshineswar. Suppose she makes him swear, and says: If you go, you will drink my blood!—
  10193. 147Disobeying the Word of an Elder, for God Alone
  10194. 148Sri Ramakrishna: The mother who says such a thing is no mother; she is the very form of avidya. There is nothing wrong in not listening to such a moth…
  10195. 149"But apart from this one thing, 'Don't go the way of God', you should listen to everything else! Let me see, let me see your hand."
  10196. 150Saying this, the Master seems to be feeling how heavy Tarak's hand is. A little later he says, "There is a little, a twist; but that little will go. P…
  10197. 151Tarak: No, sir; they did.
  10198. 152Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Did they, or did you? For fear of the tiger?
  10199. 153Is the Master calling woman a tiger?
  10200. 154Tarak bowed and took his leave.
  10201. 155The Master is lying on his small bedstead, as though he were thinking of Tarak. Suddenly he says to M.: Why do I long so for them?
  10202. 156M. is silent, as though wondering what answer to give. The Master asks again, and says, "Tell me."
  10203. 157Meanwhile Mohinimohan's wife has come into the Master's room, bowed, and is sitting to one side. The Master is speaking to M. about Tarak's companion.
  10204. 158Sri Ramakrishna: Why did Tarak bring that one along?
  10205. 159M.: A companion for the road, I think. It is a long way, so he brought someone with him.
  10206. 160In the middle of this talk the Master suddenly addresses Mohini's wife and says: "If one dies an untimely death, one becomes a ghost. Beware! Reason w…
  10207. 161Mohini is taking his leave now. He prostrates himself and bows to the Master. His wife too bows to the Master. The Master is standing by the north doo…
  10208. 162Sri Ramakrishna: Will you stay here?
  10209. 163The wife: I will come and stay some days. With Mother, in the nahabat?
  10210. 164Sri Ramakrishna: That is good. But you talk of dying; that is why I am afraid. And the Ganges is close by too!
  10211. 1Part One, Section Fourteen
  10212. 2Sri Ramakrishna's Coming to Balaram's House, and the Conversation and Joy There with Narendra, Girish, Balaram, Chunilal, Latu, M., Narayan and Other…
  10213. 3Chapter One
  10214. 4It is the tenth day of the dark fortnight of Phalgun, under the asterism Purvashadha; the twenty-seventh of Phalgun, Wednesday, by the English reckoni…
  10215. 5Blessed are you, Balaram! It is your home that has today become the Master's chief field of work! How many new devotees he has drawn and bound with th…
  10216. 6In the Kali temple at Dakshineswar he sits and weeps; he is restless to see his own inner circle! At night there is no sleep! He says to the Mother, '…
  10217. 7It was in Balaram's home that the first sitting and talk with Sri Girish Ghosh took place. It was here that there was the joy of kirtan at the time of…
  10218. 8"He Watches for Your Coming." The Younger Naren
  10219. 9M. teaches at a school nearby. He has heard that Sri Ramakrishna will come to Balaram's house at ten today. Finding a little leave from his teaching i…
  10220. 10Sri Ramakrishna, affectionately: How is it you've come now? Is there no school?
  10221. 11M.: I'm coming from school—there's no particular work there just now.
  10222. 12A devotee: "No, sir! He has run away from school!" Everyone laughed.
  10223. 13M., to himself: Ah, who was it that drew me here!
  10224. 14The Master seemed to grow a little thoughtful. Then he made M. sit close to him and began to talk of many things. And he said, 'Wring out my towel for…
  10225. 15Sri Ramakrishna and the Height of Renouncing Possessions: a True Sannyasi
  10226. 16Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell me, why has this been happening to me these few days? I can't put my hand on anything made of metal. Once I put my hand o…
  10227. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell me, the younger Naren keeps coming and going; will they say anything at his home? He is very pure; he has never had to do…
  10228. 18M.: And he is a large vessel.
  10229. 19Sri Ramakrishna: Yes; and then he says: if I hear talk of God once, it stays in my mind. He says—as a child I used to weep—because God was not showing…
  10230. 20Much talk of this kind about the younger Naren went on with M. Just then one of the devotees present spoke up, 'M., sir! Aren't you going to school?'
  10231. 21The Master: What time is it?
  10232. 22A devotee: Ten minutes to one.
  10233. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "Off you go; you're getting late. As it is, you've come away leaving your work." To Latu: "Where is Rakhal?"
  10234. 24Latu: He's gone—home.
  10235. 25Sri Ramakrishna: Without seeing me?
  10236. 26Chapter Two
  10237. 27In the Afternoon—with the Devotees. The Doctrine of the Avatar, and Sri Ramakrishna
  10238. 28School over, M. comes back and sees—the Master is seated in Balaram's sitting room, holding a gathering of devotees. There is a sweet smile on the Mas…
  10239. 29Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: Just argue it out once with Narendra, and see what he says.
  10240. 30Girish, smiling: Narendra says God is infinite. Whatever we see or hear—a thing, or a person—that it is all a part of Him—we cannot go so far as to sa…
  10241. 31Sri Ramakrishna: Let God be infinite, and as great as He may be—if He wills, the essence within Him can come through a human being, and does come. Tha…
  10242. 32Girish: Narendra says, can He be grasped wholly? He is infinite.
  10243. 33Perception of the Infinite
  10244. 34Compare discussion about the order of perception of the Infinite and of the Finite in Max-Muller's Hibbert Lectures and Gifford Lectures.
  10245. 35Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: "Who can grasp God wholly? Why, one can't grasp even His great aspect, nor again even His small one. And what need is ther…
  10246. 36"If I touch your foot, it is you that I have touched." There was laughter.
  10247. 37"If you go to the sea and touch a little of its water, you have touched the sea itself. The fire principle is everywhere, but it is more in wood.—
  10248. 38Girish, laughing: Where I can find fire, that is just the place I need!
  10249. 39Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: The fire principle is more in wood. If you look for the God principle, look for it in man. In man He is more manifest. The…
  10250. 40Looking at M.: "He is there, of course; but His power is more manifest in one place, less manifest in another. In the Avatar His power is more manifes…
  10251. 41Girish: Narendra says He is beyond the reach of speech and mind.
  10252. 42Sri Ramakrishna: No; He is not within reach of this mind, it is true—but He is within reach of the pure mind. He is not within reach of this intellect…
  10253. 43Girish, smiling: Narendra has lost the argument to me.
  10254. 44Sri Ramakrishna: No; he told me: Girish Ghosh has so much faith that a man is an Avatar; what more can I say now! Against faith like that one must say…
  10255. 45Girish, smiling: Sir! All of us are chattering away, but M. sits with his lips pressed shut! What is he thinking? Sir! What do you say?
  10256. 46Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "'The glib of tongue, the deep within, the one with tulsi at the ear, the woman with the long veil, the cool water of a mos…
  10257. 47Girish: Sir! What was that rhyme you said?
  10258. 48Sri Ramakrishna: "One must beware of these few kinds of people—first the glib of tongue, who chatters away; then the deep within—you may send a diver…
  10259. 49Chunilal: There is talk going round against him, M. The younger Naren and Baburam are his pupils; Narayan, Paltu, Purna, Tejchandra—these are all his…
  10260. 50Sri Ramakrishna: Who will believe what they say?
  10261. 51While all this talk was going on, Narayan came and bowed down to the Master. Narayan is fair, seventeen or eighteen years old, and goes to school; the…
  10262. 52Girish, looking at Narayan: "Who sent him word? It's M., I see, who has done it all!" Everyone laughed.
  10263. 53Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: Sit down! Keep quiet! As it is, a bad name has got about against him, M.!
  10264. 54"The Worry for Food Is a Marvel." What Comes of a Brahmin's Taking Gifts
  10265. 55Talk turned again to Narendra.
  10266. 56A devotee: Why doesn't he come so often now?
  10267. 57Sri Ramakrishna: "'The worry for food is a marvel, Kalidasa loses his wits.'" Everyone laughed.
  10268. 58Balaram: There's a great deal of coming and going with Annada Guha, a son of Siva Guha's house.
  10269. 59Sri Ramakrishna: Yes; Narendra, Annada and the rest of them go to an office man's lodgings. They hold a Brahmo Samaj there.
  10270. 60A devotee: His name—the office man's—is Tarapada.
  10271. 61Balaram, laughing: The brahmins say: that fellow Annada Guha is very proud.
  10272. 62Sri Ramakrishna: "Don't listen to that sort of talk from the brahmins. You know them: if you don't give, you're a bad man; if you give, you're good."…
  10273. 63Chapter Three
  10274. 64With the Devotees—in the Joy of Bhajan
  10275. 65The Master said he would like to hear some singing. Balaram's sitting room is a roomful of people. All are looking towards him, to hear what he will s…
  10276. 66Tarapada is singing:
  10277. 67A song: O Kesava, have mercy on the lowly, You who roam the groves and bowers; O Madhava, enchanter of the heart, bearer of the enchanting flute. (Har…
  10278. 68Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: Ah, a fine song, isn't it? Did you yourself compose all the songs?
  10279. 69A devotee: Yes, it was he who composed all the songs of the Chaitanya Lila.
  10280. 70Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: This song has come off very well.
  10281. 71Sri Ramakrishna, to the singer: Can you sing Nitai's song?
  10282. 72Another song was sung, the one Nitai had sung:
  10283. 73A song: Come, take the love of Kishori; the flood tide of love is flowing. Love is flowing in a hundred streams; each gets as much as he wants. Kishor…
  10284. 74A song of Sri Gauranga was sung:
  10285. 75A song: In whose mood, in the guise of Gaur, have You soothed my heart? A storm has risen on the sea of love; no family honour will be left (You have…
  10286. 76Everyone is begging M.: You sing a song. M. is a little shy, and in a whisper he is asking to be excused.
  10287. 77Girish, to the Master, smiling: Sir! M. won't sing on any account.
  10288. 78Sri Ramakrishna, annoyed: At school he'll show his teeth, and it's only to sing that he is so shy!
  10289. 79M. sat for some time, his face fallen.
  10290. 80Sri Suresh Mitra was sitting a little way off. The Master Sri Ramakrishna, casting an affectionate glance towards him, is speaking with a smiling face…
  10291. 81Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What are you, after all? He—Girish—is more than you.
  10292. 82Suresh, laughing: "Yes, sir; he's my elder brother." Everyone laughed.
  10293. 83Girish, to the Master: Well, sir! As a boy I did no studying at all, yet people call me learned!
  10294. 84Sri Ramakrishna: "Mahim Chakravarti has looked into and heard a great many scriptures and the like—a great vessel!" To M.: "Isn't that so?"
  10295. 85M.: Yes, sir.
  10296. 86Girish: What? Learning? I've seen plenty of that! I'm not taken in by it any more.
  10297. 87Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: Do you know how it is with me here? Books, scriptures, all these only tell you the way to reach God. Once you have learnt t…
  10298. 88"A man had received a letter: presents had to be sent to a relative's house, and the things to be sent were written in it. When the time came to send…
  10299. 89"In the scriptures you will find word of the means of attaining Him. But having learnt all about it, you must set to work. Only then do you gain the R…
  10300. 90"What will mere learning do? A pandit may know many slokas, many scriptures; but one who has attachment to the world, who in his heart of hearts loves…
  10301. 91Girish, smiling: "Sir! Squeeze the almanac and not a single drop falls?" Everyone laughed.
  10302. 92Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: A pandit talks very big, but where is his eye fixed? On woman and gold, on bodily comfort and money.
  10303. 93"The vulture flies very high, but its eye is on the charnel ground!" There was laughter. "It is always searching: where is a dead animal, where is the…
  10304. 94Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: Narendra is very good; in singing, in playing, in reading, in hearing, in learning—and then he has mastered his senses, he…
  10305. 95To M.: "What do you say? What do you say—isn't he very good?
  10306. 96M.: Yes, sir; very good.
  10307. 97Sri Ramakrishna, aside to M.: Look, he—Girish—has great love and faith.
  10308. 98M., in wonder, is gazing steadily at Girish. Girish has been coming to the Master only for a few days. But M. saw him as one known before—an acquainta…
  10309. 99Narayan said: Sir! Won't there be a song from you?
  10310. 100Sri Ramakrishna, in that sweet voice of his, is singing the name and glories of the Mother:
  10311. 101A song: Keep the darling Mother Syama with care in your heart. You look on Mother, and I look on Her, and let no one else see Her. Giving lust and the…
  10312. 102Taking on himself the mood of a worldly soul scorched by the three afflictions, the Master is singing to the Mother in loving reproach:
  10313. 103A song: O Mother, being all bliss, do not make me joyless. (O Mother,) but for those two feet, my mind knows nothing else. The son of the Sun speaks i…
  10314. 104And he is singing of the Brahman-bliss of Her who is eternal bliss:
  10315. 105A song: Ever sporting with Siva, lost in bliss, drunk with nectar She sways and sways, yet She does not fall (Mother). Eager in the reversed embrace,…
  10316. 106The devotees are listening to the song in utter silence. With fixed eyes they are watching the Master's wonderful, self-forgetting, God-drunk bhava.
  10317. 107The song came to an end. After a little while the Master Sri Ramakrishna says, "I didn't sing well today—I have a cold.
  10318. 108Chapter Four
  10319. 109At the Coming of Dusk
  10320. 110Little by little evening came. On the breast of the ocean, where the blue shadow of the Infinite has fallen, in the depths of the forest, on mountain…
  10321. 111As they talked, evening came. Each devotee remained sitting in the seat where he had been sitting. Sri Ramakrishna is chanting the sweet Name; all are…
  10322. 112Some of the devotees are thinking in this way, and feel their lives fulfilled as they hear the name of Hari, and the name of the Mother, flowing from…
  10323. 113Mani is thinking—"He who takes His name at all three twilights—from whose holy lips the Ganges of the Name flows unbroken, like a stream of oil: what…
  10324. 114Girish invited the Master. He would have to go that very night.
  10325. 115Sri Ramakrishna: Won't it be late at night?
  10326. 116Girish: No; come whenever you like; I have to go to the theatre today—I have to settle a quarrel among them.
  10327. 117Chapter Five
  10328. 118On the Highway. Sri Ramakrishna's Wondrous Possession by God
  10329. 119Girish's invitation. He must go that very night. It is now nine at night. Balaram too has had the night meal made ready, thinking the Master would eat…
  10330. 120Even as he comes down from the upper floor he is lost in divine bhava! As if drunk. With him—Narayan and M. Behind, Ram, Chuni and many others. A devo…
  10331. 121He is crossing the meeting of three roads at Bosepara—Sri Girish's house is a little way on. Why is he walking so fast? The devotees are falling behin…
  10332. 122Here comes Narendra. He has been mad, crying Narendra, Narendra! Yet Narendra has come before him, and the Master is not speaking! People say this is…
  10333. 123Who will understand this bhava? The Master came and stood before the lane that leads into Girish's house. The devotees are with him. Now he is greetin…
  10334. 124He is saying to Narendra, "Are you well, my child? I couldn't speak then!"—every syllable steeped in compassion! He had not yet reached the door. Now,…
  10335. 125Looking at Narendra, he exclaimed: One thing—here is one (the embodied?) and one (the world).
  10336. 126The jiva and the world! What was he seeing in his bhava! He alone knows! Dumbstruck, what was he seeing! One or two words were uttered, like words of…
  10337. 127Chapter Six
  10338. 128The Master at a Devotee's Home. The Newspaper. Nityagopal
  10339. 129Girish has come to the door to take the Master Sri Ramakrishna into the house. As soon as the Master came near with the devotees, Girish fell before h…
  10340. 130As he went to take his seat, the Master saw that a newspaper was lying there. In a newspaper there is the talk of worldly people; worldly talk, gossip…
  10341. 131After the paper had been moved away he took his seat.
  10342. 132Nityagopal bowed down.
  10343. 133Sri Ramakrishna, to Nityagopal: Over there?—
  10344. 134Nitya: Yes, sir; I haven't gone to Dakshineswar. My health is bad. Pain.
  10345. 135Sri Ramakrishna: How are you?
  10346. 136Nitya: Not well.
  10347. 137Sri Ramakrishna: Keep a note or two lower.
  10348. 138Nitya: I don't like people. They say all sorts of things—I get afraid. At times I feel very bold.
  10349. 139Sri Ramakrishna: That's bound to be so. Who stays with you?
  10350. 140Nitya: Tarak. He is always with me; at times I don't like him either.
  10351. 141Sri Taraknath Ghoshal—Sri Sivananda.
  10352. 142Sri Ramakrishna: Nangta used to say there was a siddha in their monastery. He would walk along gazing at the sky, Ganesh Garji—when his companion went…
  10353. 143Even as he spoke, a change came over Sri Ramakrishna's mood. In some bhava he remained dumbstruck. After a while he is saying, "You have come. I too h…
  10354. 144Chapter Seven
  10355. 145With His Companions. A Discussion about the Avatar
  10356. 146Many devotees are present, sitting near Sri Ramakrishna. Narendra, Girish, Ram, Haripada, Chuni, Balaram, M.—many are there.
  10357. 147Narendra does not accept that God takes a human body and becomes an Avatar. On the other side, Girish has a burning faith that He becomes an Avatar ag…
  10358. 148The argument began. It was not in English—it was in Bengali—with now and then a word or two of English. Narendra said: God is infinite. What power hav…
  10359. 149Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: What he holds, I hold too. He is everywhere. But there is one thing—the difference in power. In one place there is the mani…
  10360. 150Ram: What will come of all this useless arguing?
  10361. 151Sri Ramakrishna, displeased: No, no; there is a meaning in it.
  10362. 152Girish: How did you come to know that He does not take a body and come?
  10363. 153Narendra: He is beyond the reach of speech and mind.
  10364. 154Sri Ramakrishna: No; He is within reach of the pure intellect. The pure intellect and the pure Self are one and the same; the rishis had direct vision…
  10365. 155Girish, to Narendra: If He does not become an Avatar in man, who will make us understand? He takes a body and comes to give men knowledge and bhakti.…
  10366. 156Narendra: Why? He will make us understand from within.
  10367. 157Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: Yes, yes; He will make you understand as the Indweller.
  10368. 158Then a fierce argument. Infinity—can it have parts? And then, what does Hamilton say? What does Herbert Spencer say? What have Tyndal and Huxley said?…
  10369. 159Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "Look, I don't like these things. I see everything as That. What more argument shall I make? I see—He alone is everything. It…
  10370. 160Girish, laughing: "Apart from that, I've understood just about everything, haven't I!" Everyone laughed.
  10371. 161Ramanuja and the Doctrine of Visishtadvaita
  10372. 162Sri Ramakrishna: Then again, I can't talk unless I come down two steps.
  10373. 163"There is Vedanta, what Sankara explained; and there is also Ramanuja's Visishtadvaita.
  10374. 164Narendra: What is Visishtadvaita?
  10375. 165Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: There is Visishtadvaita—Ramanuja's view. That is: Brahman qualified by the jivas and the world. All bound together as on…
  10376. 166"It is like a bel fruit. Someone had separated the shell, the seeds and the pulp. It had become necessary to know how much the bel weighed. Now if you…
  10377. 167Chapter Eight
  10378. 168Seeing God—God-vision. The Avatar Is Known by Direct Perception
  10379. 169Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I see That face to face; what more argument shall I make? I have seen that He alone has become all this. It is He who has beco…
  10380. 170"But unless one attains Consciousness one cannot know Consciousness. How long does reasoning last? Until one has attained Him; it will not do merely t…
  10381. 171Direct Revelation. A Teaching to Narendra: Kali Is Brahman
  10382. 172Kali—God in his relations to the conditioned. Brahman—The Unconditioned, the Absolute.
  10383. 173"Only when one attains Consciousness can one know Consciousness.
  10384. 174When the argument was over, the Master Sri Ramakrishna is saying to M.:
  10385. 175"I have seen: by reasoning one knows Him in one way; by meditating on Him one knows Him in one way. And again, when He shows it—that is something else…
  10386. 176The Master called Narendra to him and made him sit close; he is asking after his welfare and showing him much affection.
  10387. 177Narendra, to Sri Ramakrishna: Why, three or four days I spent in meditation on Kali, and nothing at all came of it!
  10388. 178Sri Ramakrishna: It will come, little by little. Kali is no one else: the very One who is Brahman is Kali. Kali is the Primal Sakti. When inactive, I…
  10389. 179"Brahman and Kali are not different. As with fire and its burning power. Think of fire and you must think of its power to burn. Accept Kali and you mu…
  10390. 180"Brahman and Sakti are not different. It is That I call Sakti, That I call Kali."
  10391. 181Meanwhile it has grown late. Girish is saying to Haripada: Brother, if you would call a carriage—I have to go to the theatre.
  10392. 182Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Mind you do bring it!" Everyone laughed.
  10393. 183Haripada, smiling: I'm going off to fetch it—and shall I not bring it?
  10394. 184Attaining God, and Work. Rama and Kama
  10395. 185Girish: To leave you and go off to the theatre again!
  10396. 186Sri Ramakrishna: "No; you must keep to this side and that, to both sides. 'King Janaka kept to this side and that, to both sides, and drank his bowl o…
  10397. 187Girish: I'm thinking of leaving the theatres to the youngsters.
  10398. 188Sri Ramakrishna: No, no; that is well as it is; it is doing many people good.
  10399. 189Narendra, softly: Here he is, talking of God, talking of the Avatar! And again the theatre pulls at him.
  10400. 190Chapter Nine
  10401. 191In the Shrine of Samadhi. Sri Ramakrishna, Brimming Over and Drunk
  10402. 192Sri Ramakrishna has made Narendra sit near him and is gazing at him with fixed eyes; suddenly he moved still closer to him and sat down. Narendra has…
  10403. 193Reasoning Lasts until God Is Attained
  10404. 194To Narendra: "As long as there is reasoning, one has not attained Him. You were reasoning; I didn't like it.
  10405. 195"How long do you hear the noise at a house where a feast is given? As long as people have not sat down to eat. As soon as the luchis and curries are s…
  10406. 196"The more one attains God, the less the reasoning. When one has attained Him there is no more noise—no reasoning. Then sleep—samadhi."
  10407. 197Saying this, he is stroking Narendra's body, touching his face with his hand and fondling him, and saying, 'Hari Om, Hari Om, Hari Om'.
  10408. 198Why is he doing this, and saying this? Is Sri Ramakrishna seeing Narayana Himself in Narendra? Is this what is called seeing God in man? How wonderful…
  10409. 199Even as one watches, his mood changes still further. Now again, with folded hands before Narendra, what is he saying! He is saying—'A song (sing)—then…
  10410. 200For a while he is again dumbstruck, sitting silent like a painted doll. Again, drunk with bhava, he is saying:
  10411. 201"Take care, Rai—you will fall into the Jamuna—mad with love of Krishna!
  10412. 202Again he is lost in bhava! He is saying—
  10413. 203"Friend! How far is that forest! (The forest where my Syamasundar is!) (There, the fragrance of Krishna is wafting!) (I cannot walk!)"
  10414. 204Now the world is forgotten—he remembers no one—Narendra is before him, but Narendra too he no longer remembers—where he is sitting, he is not aware at…
  10415. 205Brimming over and drunk with love of Gora!—even as he says these words he suddenly gives a great shout and is on his feet! Again he sits down, and sea…
  10416. 206"There, I see a light coming—but from which side the light is coming I still can't make out."
  10417. 207Now Narendra is singing:
  10418. 208A song: You have taken away all sorrow, giving me sight of You—You have enchanted my heart. The seven worlds forget their grief in finding You—and whe…
  10419. 209As he listens to the song, the outer world is slipping from Sri Ramakrishna's mind! Again the eyes are closed. The body motionless. In samadhi!
  10420. 210When the samadhi broke he says, "Who will take me?" As a child sees darkness when it does not see its companion—just so!
  10421. 211It is late in the night. The tenth day of the dark fortnight of Phalgun—a dark night. The Master will go to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. He is to…
  10422. 212The devotees are standing by the carriage. He is getting in—he is being helped in with great care; he is still 'brimming over and drunk'.
  10423. 213The carriage drove away. The devotees—each is going to his own home.
  10424. 214Chapter Ten
  10425. 215In the Servant's Heart
  10426. 216Overhead the night sky studded with stars—in the heart the wondrous image of Sri Ramakrishna, in memory the gathering of devotees—before the eyes, lik…
  10427. 217Mani is going along, thinking, "Does God truly, truly take a human body and come? Does the Infinite become finite? There has been plenty of argument.…
  10428. 218"The Master Sri Ramakrishna put it well: 'As long as there is reasoning, the Real has not been gained; so long God has not been attained.' That is so…
  10429. 219"All doubts are cut asunder."
  10430. 220"As the unlettered fishermen in Palestine saw Jesus, or as Srivasa and the other devotees saw Sri Gauranga, as the full Avatar.
  10431. 221"If He does not show it in a flash, then what is the way? Why—since the Master Sri Ramakrishna says so, I will believe in the Avatar. It is he who has…
  10432. 222"You alone have I made the pole star of my life; in this sea I shall never again lose my way."
  10433. 223"Through his word—by God's grace—I have come to have faith—I will believe; let others do as they will—why should I give up this faith, rare even for t…
  10434. 224Thinking of Sri Ramakrishna's love, such as was never seen before, Mani is going home along the highway through that darkness-shrouded night, and thin…
  10435. 225"And what faith Girish has! Right after seeing him on two days he said, 'Lord, You are God—You have taken a human body and come—for my deliverance.' G…
  10436. 226"What love! Mad for Narendra, weeping for Narayan. He says, 'These and the other boys—Rakhal, Bhavanath, Purna, Baburam and the rest—are Narayana in p…
  10437. 227"As he gazed and gazed at Narendra he forgot the outer world; little by little he forgot the embodied Narendra; he forgot the outward man, the Apparen…
  10438. 228"Narendra has not accepted the Avatar; what of that! The Master has the divine eye; he saw that this pique might come. He is so very much one's own; H…
  10439. 229'If you've sulked, you've sulked; we too are with you in your sulking!'
  10440. 230"He who is closer than one's own kin: if one does not take offence with Him, then with whom will one? Blessed are you, Narendranath, that this Supreme…
  10441. 231Thinking such thoughts, in that deep night, remembering Sri Ramakrishna, the devotees are returning home.
  10442. 1Section Thirteen
  10443. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Homes of Devotees in Calcutta
  10444. 3Chapter One
  10445. 4With His Intimate Ones in the Home of Balaram Bose
  10446. 5Three o'clock has long since struck. It is the month of Chaitra, and the sun is fierce. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with one or two devotees in Balaram…
  10447. 6Today is Monday, the sixth of April 1885, the twenty-fifth of Chaitra, the seventh day of the dark fortnight. The Master has come to Calcutta, to the…
  10448. 7Sri Ramakrishna and Truthful Speech: the Younger Naren, Baburam, Purna
  10449. 8Day and night the Master is drunk with the love of God. Every moment he is in bhava or in samadhi. His mind is not on the outer world at all. Only for…
  10450. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I have said I would come at three, so here I am. But the sun is terribly strong.
  10451. 10M.: Yes, sir, it has been very hard on you.
  10452. 11The devotees are fanning the Master.
  10453. 12Sri Ramakrishna: I came for the younger Naren and for Baburam. Why didn't you bring Purna?
  10454. 13M.: He does not want to come where people are gathered. He is afraid you will praise him before others, and that his family may come to hear of it.
  10455. 14The Teaching of Pandits and of Holy Men Differs; the Company of the Holy
  10456. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that is so. If I let it slip, I won't say it again. Well, you are giving Purna religious teaching; that is very good.
  10457. 16M.: Besides, in Vidyasagar's book, in the Selection, it says that very thing: love God with body, mind and soul. If the elders of the house are angry…
  10458. 17"With all thy Soul love God above, And as thyself thy neighbour love."
  10459. 18Sri Ramakrishna: There is a great deal in their books, true; but those who wrote the books cannot hold it within them. Only through the company of hol…
  10460. 19"Well, how do you find Purna's state? Does he have bhava, or anything of the kind?"
  10461. 20M.: Why, I don't see any outward state of bhava in him of that sort. One day I told him that saying of yours.
  10462. 21Sri Ramakrishna: What saying?
  10463. 22M.: The one you told us!—When the vessel is an ordinary one, it cannot hold back its bhava. When the vessel is a great one, there is intense bhava wit…
  10464. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Bhava will not show outwardly in him. He comes from another mine! And all the other signs in him are good. What do you think?
  10465. 24M.: His two eyes are very bright—as if they were pressing outward.
  10466. 25Sri Ramakrishna: It isn't enough for the two eyes merely to be bright. But godly eyes are something else. Well, did you ask him how it has been with h…
  10467. 26M.: Yes, sir, we did talk of it. For four or five days now he has been saying that when he sets about thinking of God, and when he sets about repeatin…
  10468. 27Sri Ramakrishna: Then what more is needed!
  10469. 28The Master and M. sit silent. After a while M. speaks. He says, He is standing—
  10470. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Who?
  10471. 30M.: Purna—he is probably standing near his front door. If one of us goes, he will come running, and when he comes he will bow to us and go.
  10472. 31Sri Ramakrishna: Ah! Ah!
  10473. 32The Master is resting, leaning on a bolster. A boy of twelve has come with M.; he studies at M.'s school, and his name is Kshirod.
  10474. 33M. says, This boy is a fine one! He takes great joy in talk about God.
  10475. 34Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: His two eyes are just like a deer's.
  10476. 35The boy touched the Master's feet, prostrated himself on the ground and bowed down, and with deep devotion began to massage the Master's feet. The Mas…
  10477. 36Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Rakhal is at home. He is not well either; he has a boil. A child is to be born to him, I suppose; so I heard.
  10478. 37Paltu and Binode are sitting in front of him.
  10479. 38Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Paltu: "What did you tell your father!" Then, to M.: "They say he has answered his father back, over his coming here." Th…
  10480. 39Paltu: "I said, Yes, I do go to him; what is wrong in that?" The Master and M. laughed. "If I have to, I'll say still more."
  10481. 40Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to M.: No, what's this, so far as that!
  10482. 41M.: "No, sir, so far as that is not good!" The Master laughed.
  10483. 42Sri Ramakrishna, to Binode: How are you keeping? Didn't you go there?
  10484. 43Binode: Sir, I was going—and then I didn't go, out of fear! I have been a little ill; I'm not well.
  10485. 44Sri Ramakrishna: Come along there, won't you? The air is good; you'll get well.
  10486. 45The younger Naren has come. The Master is going to wash his face. The younger Naren took a towel and went to pour water for the Master. M. too goes al…
  10487. 46At the north corner of the west verandah the younger Naren is washing the Master's feet; M. stands near by.
  10488. 47Sri Ramakrishna: Terribly hot sun.
  10489. 48M.: Yes, sir.
  10490. 49Sri Ramakrishna: How do you manage to live inside that little space? Doesn't the room upstairs get hot?
  10491. 50M.: Yes, sir. It gets very hot.
  10492. 51Sri Ramakrishna: And besides, your wife has an illness of the head; you should keep her somewhere cool.
  10493. 52M.: Yes, sir. I have told her to sleep in the room downstairs.
  10494. 53The Master has come back to the drawing-room and taken his seat again, and he says to M., Why didn't you go this Sunday?
  10495. 54M.: Sir, there is no one else at home. And on top of that the illness—of my wife's head. There is no one to look after her.
  10496. 55The Master is going by carriage to Nimu Goswami's Lane, to Devendra's house. With him go the younger Naren and M., and besides them one or two devotee…
  10497. 56Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: A great vessel! Otherwise, would he have had japa done for himself! And he knows nothing of all this.
  10498. 57M. and the devotees listen in wonder: the Master has repeated a bija mantra for Purna.
  10499. 58Sri Ramakrishna: You should just have brought him today. Why didn't you?
  10500. 59At the younger Naren's laughter the Master and the devotees all laugh. Pointing to him, the Master says joyfully to M.: Look, look, how he laughs, pla…
  10501. 60The Master is on his way to Devendra's house. One day at Dakshineswar he was saying to Devendra, One day, I have thought, I will come to your house. D…
  10502. 61A little later, on reaching the house, he says, Devendra, don't prepare any food for me; just something plain—I'm not very well.
  10503. 62Chapter Two
  10504. 63With the Devotees at Devendra's House
  10505. 64Sri Ramakrishna is seated in the drawing-room of Devendra's house, with the devotees gathered about him. The drawing-room is on the ground floor. Even…
  10506. 65Giving Up Woman and Gold, and the Bliss of Brahman
  10507. 66A devotee, smiling: I saw a number of pots of filth—some were sitting on top of the pots, some were sitting a little way off.
  10508. 67Sri Ramakrishna: That is the state of worldly people who have forgotten God; he has seen it, and so all of it is being renounced in his mind. If the m…
  10509. 68"Oh! How wonderful! With me it went only after so much japa and meditation! How has it gone from his mind altogether, and so soon! Is it an easy thing…
  10510. 69Then, to the devotees: "If woman and gold have gone from the mind, then what is left? Then there is only the Bliss of Brahman."
  10511. 70Sashi had only lately begun to come and go to the Master. He was then in his first year of the B.A. at Vidyasagar's college. Now the Master talks abou…
  10512. 71Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: That boy who comes, the one I mean—for a while his mind will rise to money now and then, I have seen. But with some…
  10513. 72The devotees listen without a sound.
  10514. 73Who Can Recognize an Incarnation?
  10515. 74Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "Unless woman and gold have wholly gone from the mind, it is hard to recognize an Incarnation. A brinjal-seller was…
  10516. 75The Master saw that the younger Naren had caught the point of his words in a flash.
  10517. 76Sri Ramakrishna: What a subtle mind he has! Nangta used to grasp things in a flash like this—the Gita, the Bhagavata, whatever was in them, he would g…
  10518. 77Renunciation from Boyhood Is a Wonder; How a Prostitute Is Saved
  10519. 78Sri Ramakrishna: To give up woman and gold from childhood—that is a great wonder. It happens to very few! Otherwise it is like a hail-struck mango: it…
  10520. 79"To have sinned much at first and then, in old age, to chant Hari's name: that is good, as bad things go.
  10521. 80"So-and-so Mallick's mother—the daughter of a very wealthy house! Talking of prostitutes she asked, Will they not be saved by any means at all? She ha…
  10522. 81Chapter Three
  10523. 82The Master at Devendra's House, in the Joy of Kirtan and in the Shrine of Samadhi
  10524. 83Now there is sankirtan, with drums and cymbals. The kirtan singer sings:
  10525. 84What did I see, oh, in the hut of Keshab Bharati, A wondrous light, the form of Sri Gauranga; From his two eyes love pours down in a hundred streams.…
  10526. 85Listening to the song, he has gone into bhava. The kirtan singer describes the state of the gopi of Vraja, stricken by her separation from Sri Krishna…
  10527. 86The gopi of Vraja is searching for Madhava in the madhavi bower—
  10528. 87O Madhavi! Give me my Madhava! (Give, give, give, give me Madhava!) Give my Madhava to me, and buy me without a price. As water is the life of the fis…
  10529. 88Now and then the Master Sri Ramakrishna puts in lines of his own—
  10530. 89(How far away is that Mathura! Where the beloved of my life is!)
  10531. 90The Master is in samadhi! His body is still! For a long while he has remained still.
  10532. 91The Master comes back a little to the outer world; but he is still in bhava. In this state he talks about the devotees. Now and then he talks with the…
  10533. 92Sri Ramakrishna, in bhava: "Mother! Draw him to You; I cannot think about him any longer!" Then, to M.: "Your brother-in-law—the mind is turned a litt…
  10534. 93Then, to Girish: "You speak a great deal of abuse and coarse words; never mind, it is better for all that to come out. Some people have a disease of b…
  10535. 94"It is when the upadhi is being destroyed that the noise comes. Wood crackles as it burns. When it is all burnt there is no more sound.
  10536. 95"You will become purer day by day. Day by day you will grow a great deal. People will see it and be amazed. I shall not be able to come often—never mi…
  10537. 96The bhava of the Master Sri Ramakrishna is deepening again. Again he talks with the Mother: "Mother! What prowess is there in setting out to make good…
  10538. 97Growing a little steadier, the Master suddenly says in a somewhat raised voice—"I have come from Dakshineswar. I'm coming, Mother!"
  10539. 98It is as if a little child, hearing its mother call from far away, were answering her! Again the Master sits with his body motionless, in samadhi. The…
  10540. 99In bhava the Master says again, "I won't eat luchi any more."
  10541. 100One or two Goswamis had come from the neighbourhood—they rose and left.
  10542. 101Chapter Four
  10543. 102The Master Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Devendra's House
  10544. 103The Master talks joyfully with the devotees. It is the month of Chaitra, and very hot! Devendra has made kulfi ices. He is serving them to the Master…
  10545. 104Sri Ramakrishna: That was a fine kirtan. He described the gopis' state beautifully—"O Madhavi, give me my Madhava." The state of the gopis' mad love.…
  10546. 105Pointing to another, one devotee says—His is the bhava of a sakhi—the gopi's bhava.
  10547. 106Ram: He has both in him. The sweet bhava of love, and the stern bhava of knowledge too.
  10548. 107Sri Ramakrishna: What's that?
  10549. 108Now the Master talks about Surendra.
  10550. 109Ram: I had sent him word; but he didn't come.
  10551. 110Sri Ramakrishna: After coming from work he can't manage it.
  10552. 111A devotee: Ram Babu is writing about you.
  10553. 112Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What is he writing?
  10554. 113The devotee: He is writing on a subject he calls The Paramahamsa's Bhakti—.
  10555. 114Sri Ramakrishna: Well, what more is there! Ram will make a great name.
  10556. 115Girish, smiling: That is because he is your disciple.
  10557. 116Sri Ramakrishna: I have no disciples or anything of the kind. I am a servant of Rama's servants.
  10558. 117Some people of the neighbourhood had come. But the Master took no joy in seeing them. Once he said, "What a neighbourhood this is! I see there is no o…
  10559. 118Now Devendra takes the Master into the inner part of the house. Refreshments have been made ready for him there. The Master went inside. With a smilin…
  10560. 119Upendranath Mukhopadhyay, a devotee of the Master and proprietor of the "Basumati".
  10561. 120Sri Akshay Kumar Sen, a poet devoted to the Master. It is he who wrote the "Sri Ramakrishna Punthi" and so became one to be remembered for ever. His b…
  10562. 121Is the Master one who delights in the Self? He sings in his own joy! In what mood is he singing? Remembering his own state, what upsurge of bhava came…
  10563. 122A song: Unless you are a simple man, the Simple One is not to be known.
  10564. 123A song: Stand still, O dervish, bearer of your cherished karwa and kishti. Stand still, that I may gaze on your bhava (your form).
  10565. 124A song: There has come a fakir of bhava. (Oh, he is) the Hindus' deity, the Muslims' pir.
  10566. 125Girish bowed down to the Master and took his leave. The Master too saluted Girish.
  10567. 126Devendra and the other devotees saw the Master into the carriage.
  10568. 127Coming out to the south courtyard of the drawing-room, Devendra sees that a man of his neighbourhood is still asleep on a wooden cot. He said, "Get up…
  10569. 128M.: Dwija?
  10570. 129Sri Ramakrishna: No, Dwija is there already. It is his elder one my mind is going to.
  10571. 130M.: Oh!
  10572. 131The Master drives on in joy.
  10573. 1Section Fourteen
  10574. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Balaram's House
  10575. 3Chapter One
  10576. 4The Master's Sadhana, Told in His Own Words
  10577. 5Sri Ramakrishna is seated among the devotees in Sri Balaram's drawing-room in Calcutta. Many devotees are there: Girish, M., Balaram, and, as the time…
  10578. 6Today is the first of Baisakh, the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight of Chaitra, Sunday, the twelfth of April 1885. It is about three in the aftern…
  10579. 7When M. arrived he found the Master holding court among the devotees, telling of his own sadhana and describing many kinds of spiritual state. M. came…
  10580. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: In those days (the days of sadhana) I would see in meditation, really and truly, someone sitting by me, trident in h…
  10581. 9The Nitya and the Lila; Discrimination of Purusha and Prakriti
  10582. 10"Sometimes the Mother would bring about such a state in me that the mind came down from the Nitya into the Lila. And again sometimes the mind went up…
  10583. 11"When the mind came down into the Lila, at times I would think of Sita and Rama day and night, and I constantly had the vision of Sita and Rama's form…
  10584. 12"I have practised every kind of sadhana. Sadhana is of three kinds: sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. In sattvic sadhana one calls on Him with longing, or…
  10585. 13"In that state (the state of sadhana) all sorts of wonderful visions came; I saw before my eyes the union of the Atman. One with a form like mine ente…
  10586. 14The Practice of Meditation: 'Like a Lamp in a Windless Place
  10587. 15"At the time of sadhana, as I meditated, I would fix my mind on the flame of a lamp—when there is no wind and it does not stir in the least—I would fi…
  10588. 16"In deep meditation one loses all consciousness of the outer world. A hunter is taking aim to shoot a bird. A bridegroom is passing close by, the wedd…
  10589. 17"A man was fishing alone on the bank of a pond. After a long time the float started to stir; now and again it tipped over to one side. He had the rod…
  10590. 18"In meditation such concentration comes that one sees nothing else and hears nothing either. There is not even the sense of touch. A snake goes crawli…
  10591. 19"In deep meditation all the work of the senses stops. The mind does not stay turned outward—it is as if the door of the outer apartments had been shut…
  10592. 20"At the time of meditation, at first the objects of the senses all come before one—in deep meditation they come no more—they stay lying outside. As I…
  10593. 21The Eight Siddhis and Sri Ramakrishna; Being a Guru and Being a Harlot
  10594. 22Sri Girish would say now and then that he would cure illness by taking the Master's name.
  10595. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish and the other devotees: "Those of low understanding want occult powers—curing illness, winning lawsuits, walking over water…
  10596. 24"Those who have a little occult power get position, people's esteem and all that. Many people want to set up as gurus—to be counted and honoured by ot…
  10597. 25"Being a guru is like being a harlot. It is selling oneself for wretched money, for people's esteem, for service to the body, for all these. The body,…
  10598. 26Let him not lower himself: the Gita.
  10599. 27Temptation in Sri Ramakrishna's Sadhana; the Knowledge of Brahman and the Sense of Oneness
  10600. 28Sri Ramakrishna and Islam
  10601. 29"At the time of sadhana, as I meditated, I would see so many other things too. I was meditating under the bel tree, and the Sinful Man came and tempte…
  10602. 30Krishnamayi is Balaram's little daughter.
  10603. 31The Master fell silent. Then he went on: "So much more—but I am not allowed to tell it! It is as if someone stops my mouth!
  10604. 32"The sajina plant and the tulsi would seem one! She took away the sense of difference. I was meditating under the banyan tree; she showed me a bearded…
  10605. 33Sri Ramakrishna's Childlike Nature and His Ecstasy
  10606. 34To Girish, M. and the others: "My nature is a child's. Hriday said, Uncle, say something to the Mother about powers—and at once I set off to say it to…
  10607. 35As he said this the Master was passing into ecstasy. The sense of place and time was leaving him. With great effort he tried to hold back the mood. In…
  10608. 36For a while the Master remained still.
  10609. 37Coming back a little to himself, he said, "I'll drink some water." After samadhi the Master often says this, to bring the mind down. Girish has only l…
  10610. 38Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell me, have I committed an offence? Telling all these (secret) things?
  10611. 39M., not knowing what to say, remained silent. Then the Master said again, "No, why should it be an offence? I have told it so that people may have fai…
  10612. 40M., shyly: Yes, sir, I shall send word at once.
  10613. 41Sri Ramakrishna, eagerly: There it touches the post.
  10614. 42Was the Master saying that among the devotees of the inner circle Purna was the last, and that after him there was scarcely anyone?
  10615. 43Chapter Two
  10616. 44Reminiscences: Sri Ramakrishna's Mahabhava; the Brahmani's Care of Him
  10617. 45Addressing Girish, M. and the others, the Master is describing his own state of mahabhava....
  10618. 46Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "After that state, as great as the joy is, so great is the agony before it. Mahabhava is God's bhava; it turns this…
  10619. 47"The fire of separation from God is no ordinary thing. It is said that when Rupa and Sanatana came into that state, the leaves of the tree they sat un…
  10620. 48"When that state came it was as if a ploughshare were being driven along the spine! 'My life is going, my life is going!' I would cry. But afterwards,…
  10621. 49The devotees were listening in wonder to this account of the state of mahabhava.
  10622. 50Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: "You don't need to go so far. My states are only for an example. You live with five things; I live with one. I like nothin…
  10623. 51"My state is for an example. You live in the world, unattached. Mud will get on your body, but you will shake it off, like the mud-fish. You will swim…
  10624. 52Girish, smiling: "But you too are married." Laughter.
  10625. 53Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "One has to marry for the sake of the samskara, but how could there be worldly life? They put the sacred thread round my nec…
  10626. 54"Woman and gold are the world—they cause God to be forgotten."
  10627. 55Girish: Who is there that gives up woman and gold?
  10628. 56Sri Ramakrishna: "Pray to Him with longing; pray to be given discrimination. God alone is real, and everything else impermanent—this is called discrim…
  10629. 57'Just see what a bewitching power woman has, the women who are the form of avidya! They make the men stupid and good for nothing, as it were. Whenever…
  10630. 58"If the wife says, 'Go there once,' at once he stands up; 'Sit down, then—and at once he sits down.
  10631. 59"A job-seeker was worn out with going to and fro to the head clerk. No job came of it. This was the head clerk of an office. He would say, There is no…
  10632. 60"Everyone is lost in forgetfulness over this woman and gold. But I like none of it—truly I tell you, I know nothing but God."
  10633. 61Chapter Three
  10634. 62Truthfulness Is the Austerity of the Kaliyuga; Isvarakotis and Jivakotis
  10635. 63A devotee: Sir, a new sect has come out called the Nava-Hullol. Sri Lalit Chatterji is in it.
  10636. 64Sri Ramakrishna: There are many views. Views are paths. But everyone thinks: my view alone is right—my watch keeps the right time.
  10637. 65Girish, to M.: What does Pope say? It is with our judgements, and so on.
  10638. 66It is with our judgements as with our watches, None goes just alike, yet each believes his own.
  10639. 67Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell me what this means.
  10640. 68M.: Everyone thinks his own watch keeps the right time, but the watches don't agree with one another.
  10641. 69Sri Ramakrishna: But however wrong the other watches may be, the sun keeps the right time. One must set one's watch by that sun.
  10642. 70A devotee: So-and-so Babu tells a great many lies.
  10643. 71Sri Ramakrishna: "Truthful speech is the austerity of the Kaliyuga. In the Kaliyuga other austerities are hard. If one holds to truth one attains God.…
  10644. 72"Keshab Sen acknowledged his father's debts; anyone else would never have acknowledged them, particularly since there was nothing in writing. I went t…
  10645. 73"There was a man—I won't name him—who told a lie in court for ten thousand rupees. So that he would win, he had me make an offering to Mother Kali. Wi…
  10646. 74A devotee: What a fellow!
  10647. 75Sri Ramakrishna: But such faith that if only I gave it, the Mother would hear!
  10648. 76Speaking of Lalit Babu, the Master said:
  10649. 77"Does egotism ever go! One sees one or two without it. Balaram has no egotism. And this one has none!—anyone else would have put on so many airs, such…
  10650. 78M.: Yes, sir, he has read very many books.
  10651. 79Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: If only he and Girish Ghosh could meet once. Then there would be a little argument.
  10652. 80Girish, smiling: He says, I suppose, that by sadhana anyone can become like Sri Krishna?
  10653. 81Sri Ramakrishna: Not exactly that—but the drift is like that.
  10654. 82A devotee: Sir, can everyone become like Sri Krishna?
  10655. 83Sri Ramakrishna: "Avataras, or those who are part of an Avatara, are called Isvarakotis, and ordinary people are called jivas, or jivakotis. Those who…
  10656. 84"Those who are Isvarakotis are like a king's sons: the keys of the seven storeys are in their hands. They climb to the seventh storey, and they can co…
  10657. 85The Harmony of Knowledge and Devotion
  10658. 86"Janaka was a jnani; he gained knowledge by sadhana. Sukadeva was knowledge embodied."
  10659. 87Girish: Ah!
  10660. 88Sri Ramakrishna: "Sukadeva did not have to gain knowledge by sadhana. Narada too had the Knowledge of Brahman, like Sukadeva, but he kept to devotion—…
  10661. 89"Not everyone has this state by wishing for it. Some bamboos have a wider hollow; some bamboos have a small bore."
  10662. 90Chapter Four
  10663. 91Woman and Gold, and Intense Renunciation
  10664. 92A devotee: These states of yours are for an example; then what must we do?
  10665. 93Sri Ramakrishna: "To attain God one needs intense renunciation. Whatever one feels to be against the path to God must be given up at once. It is not r…
  10666. 94"A slow three-beat won't do. A man was going to bathe, towel over his shoulder. His wife said, You're good for nothing; you're getting on in years and…
  10667. 95The husband: Why, what has he done?
  10668. 96The wife: He has sixteen wives, and one by one he is giving them up. You'll never be able to give up.
  10669. 97The husband: Giving them up one by one! You crazy woman, he won't be able to give up. Does one who renounces renounce little by little!
  10670. 98The wife, smiling: Still, he's better than you.
  10671. 99The husband: "Crazy woman, you don't understand. It's not in him; it's I who can renounce. Look, here I go!"
  10672. 100"This is called intense renunciation. The moment discrimination came, he gave up at once. He went off with the towel still on his shoulder. He did not…
  10673. 101"One who renounces needs great strength of mind. The spirit of robbers falling on a house. Aaay!!!—as robbers cry before a robbery—Kill! Plunder! Cut!
  10674. 102"What else will you do? To pass your days having gained devotion and love for Him. When she could not see Krishna, Yasoda went like a madwoman to Srim…
  10675. 103As he said this the Master was again on the point of passing into ecstasy. Suddenly, of his own accord, he said, "Kali, the form of destruction!—no, t…
  10676. 104With great effort the Master held back the mood. Now he drank a little water. He was about to speak of Yasoda again when Sri Mahendra Mukherji arrived…
  10677. 105Sri Ramakrishna: Why haven't you been to Dakshineswar all this time?
  10678. 106Mahendra: Sir, I had gone to Kedeti; I wasn't in Calcutta.
  10679. 107Sri Ramakrishna: Well! You have no children—you don't have to serve anyone—and still you have no leisure! A fine plight!
  10680. 108The devotees were all silent. Mahendra was a little embarrassed.
  10681. 109Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahendra: Why do I tell you this?—you are simple and generous—you have devotion to God.
  10682. 110Mahendra: Yes, sir, you have said it for my good.
  10683. 111The Worldly-Minded, and the Holy Man Who Takes Money; Attachment to One's Children
  10684. 112Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Besides, at the performance here no money has to be given to the players. Jadu's mother says as much: 'Other holy men are a…
  10685. 113"In one place a jatra was going on. A man very much wanted to sit and listen. But when he peeped in and saw that money was being thrown to the players…
  10686. 114"And you have no children to distract your mind. A deputy magistrate on eight hundred rupees a month went to see a play at Keshab Sen's house (the Nav…
  10687. 115Mahendra: Yes, sir, a little.
  10688. 116Sri Ramakrishna: Will you come now and then?
  10689. 117Mahendra, smiling: Yes, sir; you know where the knots are—you will look into them.
  10690. 118Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Come first!—then I'll press and feel and see what knots there are, and where! Why don't you come?
  10691. 119Mahendra: I can't come for the press of business—and then I have to look after the house at Kedeti now and then.
  10692. 120Sri Ramakrishna, pointing to the devotees, to Mahendra: Have these no homes—and no work? How do they come?
  10693. 121The Bondage of a Wife
  10694. 122Sri Ramakrishna, to Hari: Why didn't you come? Your wife has come, I suppose?
  10695. 123Hari: No, sir.
  10696. 124Sri Ramakrishna: Then why did you forget?
  10697. 125Hari: Sir, I had been unwell.
  10698. 126Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "He has grown thin—his devotion is no small thing; who can match the force of his devotion! A turbulent devotion." L…
  10699. 127The Master used to call a certain devotee's wife "Habi's mother". Habi's mother's brother has come; he is at college, about twenty years old. He was g…
  10700. 128A devotee said, "He will hear the singing; that's why he came back, it seems."
  10701. 129Today the Brahmo devotee Sri Trailokya is to sing. Paltu arrived. The Master said, Who's that—why, it's Paltu!
  10702. 130Another young devotee (Purna) arrived. The Master has had him brought with great difficulty; the people at his home will on no account let him come. T…
  10703. 131Sri Ramakrishna, to the young devotee: Come here.
  10704. 132Girish, to M.: Who is this boy?
  10705. 133M., annoyed: A boy, who else?
  10706. 134Girish, smiling: It needs no ghost to tell me that.
  10707. 135M. is afraid that if people come to know of it there will be trouble at the boy's home and he himself will be blamed. That is why the Master too is ta…
  10708. 136Sri Ramakrishna: Do you do all that?—what I told you?
  10709. 137The boy: Yes, sir.
  10710. 138Sri Ramakrishna: Do you see anything in dreams?—a tongue of fire, the light of a torch? A married woman—a cremation ground? To see such things is very…
  10711. 139The boy: I have seen you—sitting there—saying something.
  10712. 140Sri Ramakrishna: What—some teaching?—come, tell me one.
  10713. 141The boy: I don't remember.
  10714. 142Sri Ramakrishna: Never mind—that's very good!—you will make progress—you do feel drawn to me?
  10715. 143A little later the Master said, "Won't you come there?"—that is, to Dakshineswar. The boy said, "I can't say."
  10716. 144Sri Ramakrishna: Why, haven't you some relative there?
  10717. 145The boy: Yes, sir, but it won't be convenient to go there.
  10718. 146Girish is reading the life of Keshab. Sri Trailokya of the Brahmo Samaj has written this life of Sri Keshab Sen. It is written in that book that the P…
  10719. 147The Master's State; Giving Up the Company of Devotees
  10720. 148Seeing the book in Girish's hand, the Master spoke to Girish, M., Ram and the rest of the devotees: "They live with that, and so they go on about 'the…
  10721. 149Chapter Five
  10722. 150With the Devotees in the Joy of Sankirtan
  10723. 151Girish went home. He will come again.
  10724. 152Trailokya arrived with Sri Jaygopal Sen. They bowed to the Master and took their seats. The Master is asking after their welfare. The younger Naren ca…
  10725. 153Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, that song of the Blissful Mother you sang the other day—what a song! Everyone else's singing tastes flat! The other day even Nare…
  10726. 154Trailokya sings "Victory to the Son of Sachi".
  10727. 155The Master is going to wash his mouth. The women devotees are sitting by the screen, longing to see him. He will go to them and let them see him once.…
  10728. 156Coming back into the room, the Master said to Trailokya—A little of the song of the Blissful Mother—and Trailokya sang:
  10729. 157How great is Your love, O Mother, for the children of men! When I think of it, streams of love flow from my two eyes (O Mother). I have offended at Yo…
  10730. 158As he listened to the song the younger Naren became absorbed in deep meditation, like a log of wood! The Master said to M., "Look, look, what deep med…
  10731. 159The song came to an end. The Master asked Trailokya to sing this song: 'Make me mad, O Mother; I have no more use for knowledge and reasoning.'
  10732. 160Ram said, Let there be some chanting of Hari's name! Trailokya sang:
  10733. 161O mind, say Hari once, say Hari, say Hari. Saying Hari, Hari, Hari, cross over the sea of the world.
  10734. 162M. said softly, 'Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers.'
  10735. 163The Master too asked for that song. Trailokya and the devotees all sang together:
  10736. 164Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers are most compassionate, O Lords!
  10737. 165The Master too joined in. When it was over he took up another:
  10738. 166They whose eyes stream when they say Hari, those two brothers have come. They who are beaten and yet beg to give love, they, those two brothers have c…
  10739. 167Along with that song the Master sang another:
  10740. 168Nadia is rocking in the waves of Gaur's love.
  10741. 169The Master took up another—
  10742. 170Who is it that goes making all cry, Hari bol, Hari bol? Go, Madhai, go and find out. It must be Gaur going, and Nitai going. They who wear golden ankl…
  10743. 171The younger Naren is taking his leave.
  10744. 172Sri Ramakrishna: Honour your father and mother very much.—But if they stand in the way on the path to God, don't heed them. Be very stubborn—damn thei…
  10745. 173The younger Naren: "Who knows, I don't feel at all afraid."
  10746. 174Girish came back from home. The Master is introducing him to Trailokya and says, 'You two should talk together a little.' After a little talk he said…
  10747. 175Jhinjhit Khambaj; Thungri
  10748. 176Victory to the Son of Sachi, Gaura, mine of virtues, touchstone of love, ocean of the nectar of bhava! How beautiful his form, charming, delighting th…
  10749. 177At the words 'Gaur laughs, weeps, dances, sings' the Master went into ecstasy and stood up—wholly unconscious of the outer world!
  10750. 178Coming back a little to himself, he pleaded humbly with Trailokya, "Once more, that song!—What did I see."
  10751. 179Trailokya sang:
  10752. 180What did I see in Kesava Bharati's hut, A wondrous light, the form of Gauranga; love flows from his two eyes in a hundred streams.
  10753. 181The song came to an end. Evening is falling. The Master is still sitting with the devotees.
  10754. 182Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram: "There is no music! With good instruments the singing goes very well." He smiled. "You know what Balaram's arrangements are l…
  10755. 183Chapter Six
  10756. 184Sri Ramakrishna and the World of Vidya; the World after God Is Attained
  10757. 185Evening came. The lamps were lit in Balaram's drawing-room and on its verandah. Sri Ramakrishna bowed to the Mother of the Universe, repeated the root…
  10758. 186He said to Trailokya, "What you have written—that his view of the world has changed—has not in fact happened."
  10759. 187Sri Ramakrishna, to Trailokya and the other devotees: When one gets the joy of this side, that does not please one any more—when one attains the joy o…
  10760. 188Trailokya: I am speaking of those who will live in the world—I am not speaking of those who renounce.
  10761. 189Sri Ramakrishna: "What talk is that of yours!—those who keep saying 'religion in the world', 'religion in the world', if once they get the joy of God,…
  10762. 190"The chataka bird's throat is bursting with thirst; the seven seas, all the rivers and ponds are full to the brim! Still it will not drink that water.…
  10763. 191Two Annas' Worth of Wine, and Keeping Both Sides
  10764. 192'They say, I'll keep both sides. When a man has had two annas' worth of wine he wants to keep both sides; but when he has had a great deal of wine, ca…
  10765. 193When one gets the joy of God nothing else pleases. Then talk of woman and gold seems to strike at one's heart. The Master says it in the tune of a kir…
  10766. 194Trailokya: If one is to live in the world one needs money, surely, and savings too. Some gifts, some meditation—
  10767. 195Sri Ramakrishna: What, first save up money and then God! And how much giving and meditating and compassion! Thousands upon thousands of rupees spent o…
  10768. 196Trailokya: But there are good people in the world—Pundarik Vidyanidhi, a devotee of Chaitanyadeva. He lived in the world, surely.
  10769. 197Sri Ramakrishna: He had drunk wine up to the throat; had he drunk a little more he could no longer have lived in the world.
  10770. 198Trailokya kept silent. M. said to Girish aside, 'Then what he has written is not right.'
  10771. 199Girish: Then what you have written—that is not right?
  10772. 200Trailokya: Why, doesn't he hold that religion can be practised in the world?
  10773. 201Sri Ramakrishna: It can—but one must live there after gaining knowledge—one must live there after attaining God. Then "he floats on the sea of stain,…
  10774. 202Chapter Seven
  10775. 203Sri Ramakrishna and the Doctrine of the Avatara
  10776. 204A devotee, to Trailokya: I saw in your book that you do not accept Avataras. I saw it in what you write of Chaitanyadeva.
  10777. 205Trailokya: He himself protested—when at Puri Advaita and the other devotees sang, "He alone is God," on hearing the song Chaitanyadeva shut the door o…
  10778. 206Girish: He says that love is God's essence—what we need is the man through whom God's love comes. He says the cow's milk comes through the teats; it i…
  10779. 207Trailokya: The milk of His love is flowing through countless channels! He is infinite power!
  10780. 208Girish: Before that love, what other power can stand?
  10781. 209Trailokya: It happens if He whose power it is so wills! All is God's power.
  10782. 210Girish: All the rest is His power, true—but it is the power of avidya.
  10783. 211Trailokya: What is avidya! Is there such a thing as avidya? Avidya is an absence, as darkness is the absence of light. His love is a great deal for us…
  10784. 212Sri Ramakrishna, to Trailokya and others among the devotees: Yes, yes, so it is. But we get drunk on a little wine. What is it to us to reckon how muc…
  10785. 213Girish, to Trailokya: Do you accept Avataras?
  10786. 214Trailokya: God is incarnated in the devotee. The manifestation of infinite power does not take place—cannot take place!—cannot take place in any man.
  10787. 215Girish: You can serve boys as "Brahma-Gopala"; can't one worship a great soul as God?
  10788. 216Sri Ramakrishna, to Trailokya: "Why do you want to enter the Infinite? If one touches you, must one touch the whole of your body? If I bathe in the Ga…
  10789. 217When the discussion was over the Master talked sweetly with Trailokya.
  10790. 218Sri Ramakrishna: You are happy, aren't you?
  10791. 219Trailokya: Hardly! As soon as I get up from here I'll be just as I was before! Just now God is strongly kindled in me.
  10792. 220Sri Ramakrishna: With shoes on, there is no more fear of the thorny wood. If one holds the awareness "God is real, everything else impermanent", there…
  10793. 221Balaram took Trailokya to another room to give him refreshments. Sri Ramakrishna described to the devotees the state of Trailokya and of those who hol…
  10794. 222Who Can Recognize an Avatara?
  10795. 223Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish, Mani and the other devotees: "What do they know! A frog in a well has never seen the world; it knows its well; so it will…
  10796. 224To Girish: "Why argue with them? They live with both. Unless one has tasted the joy of God one cannot understand talk of that joy. Can the pleasure of…
  10797. 225"Never mind. It is not their fault. Can everyone grasp that Indivisible Satchidananda? Only twelve rishis were able to know Ramachandra. Not everyone…
  10798. 226"As a man's capital is, so is the price he offers for a thing. A babu told his servant, Take this diamond to the bazaar. Tell me what price each one o…
  10799. 227"The babu laughed and said, Very well, now take it to the cloth-dealer. That one deals in brinjals; how far could he understand! The cloth-dealer's ca…
  10800. 228Isvarakotis and Jivakotis
  10801. 229"These people go on about religion, religion, in the world. It is like a man in a room—everything shut—and a little light coming through a hole in the…
  10802. 230"The Avataras and the like are Isvarakotis. They move about in the open. They are never bound in the world—never made prisoners. Their 'I' is not a th…
  10803. 231The devotees, wonderstruck, began to listen to the doctrine of the Avatara.
  10804. 1Section Twenty-Four
  10805. 2Sri Ramakrishna Comes to the Homes of Devotees in Calcutta; A Festival at the House of Sri Girish Ghosh
  10806. 3Chapter One
  10807. 4The Master Sri Ramakrishna with His Intimate Devotees at Balaram's House
  10808. 5Narendra, M., Jogin, Baburam, Bhavanath, Balaram, Chuni
  10809. 6Friday, the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Baisakh, 24 April 1885. The Master Ramakrishna has come to Calcutta today. At about one o'clock in th…
  10810. 7M. sits to one side, looking at that sleeping form of a child. He is thinking: How wonderful! This great soul, he too lies overpowered by sleep like a…
  10811. 8Gently, gently, M. takes up a fan and fans him. After a while the Master Sri Ramakrishna woke from his sleep. All dishevelled, he sat up. M. bowed to…
  10812. 9The First Onset of Sri Ramakrishna's Illness, April 1885
  10813. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to M., affectionately: "Are you well? Who knows, my dear! I have a swelling in my throat. Toward the end of the night it hurts badly.…
  10814. 11M.: Yes, sir. Green coconuts and the like?
  10815. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Yes. Sugar-candy sherbet is good to drink.
  10816. 13M.: I went home on Sunday.
  10817. 14Sri Ramakrishna: You did well. Living at home suits you. Your father and the rest are all there; you won't have to look after the household so much.
  10818. 15As he talked, the Master's mouth began to go dry. Then, like a child, he asks M.: "My mouth is drying up. Is everyone's mouth drying up?"
  10819. 16M.: Jogin Babu, is your mouth drying up?
  10820. 17Jogindra: No. Perhaps he is feeling the heat.
  10821. 18Jogin of Ariadaha is one of the Master's intimate devotees, a man of renunciation.
  10822. 19The Master is sitting there all dishevelled. Some of the devotees are laughing.
  10823. 20Sri Ramakrishna: "It's as if I had sat down to give a child the breast." Everyone laughs. "Well, my mouth is drying up, so shall I have a pear? Or a j…
  10824. 21Baburam: Then let me go and fetch some—jamruls.
  10825. 22Sri Ramakrishna: There's no need for you to go out in the sun.
  10826. 23M. was fanning him.
  10827. 24Sri Ramakrishna: Let it be; you have been at it a long while—
  10828. 25M.: It is no trouble, sir.
  10829. 26Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: No trouble?
  10830. 27M. teaches at a school nearby. At one o'clock he had found a little free time from his teaching and had come. Now he rose to go to the school again, a…
  10831. 28Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Are you going this very minute?
  10832. 29A devotee: School hasn't let out yet. He came over once in between.
  10833. 30Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "Like the mistress of a house—she bears seven or eight children—work in the household day and night—and in the midst of it…
  10834. 31Chapter Two
  10835. 32With His Intimate Devotees at the House of Sri Balaram
  10836. 33School closed after four, and M. comes to Balaram Babu's outer room to find the Master seated there, his face all smiles. Hearing the news, the devote…
  10837. 34Sri Ramakrishna, seeing the mohanbhog, to Narendra: "Hey, the stuff has come! The stuff! The stuff! Eat! Eat!" Everyone laughed.
  10838. 35Little by little the day began to wane. The Master is to go to Girish's house; there is a festival there today. Girish will hold the festival with the…
  10839. 36The Master has entered the Bosepara lane. Laughing, he said to M., "I say, what are they saying? 'The Paramahamsa's army is coming'? Listen to what th…
  10840. 37Chapter Three
  10841. 38The Difference between an Avatar and a Perfected Soul; Mahima and Girish Debate
  10842. 39With the devotees, the Master entered Girish's outer room. Girish had invited a great many devotees. Many of them have gathered. Hearing that the Mast…
  10843. 40Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahimacharan: "I said to Girish Ghosh, naming you, 'There is a man—deep; you are knee-deep water.' So now let me see you bear out…
  10844. 41The debate between Mahimacharan and Girish began. It had barely started when Ram said, "Let all that be—let there be kirtan."
  10845. 42Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram: No, no; there's a lot of meaning in this. These are Englishmen; let me see what they say.
  10846. 43Mahimacharan's view: anyone can become Sri Krishna; if one can only practise the sadhana, it is done. Girish's view: Sri Krishna is the Avatar; a man…
  10847. 44Mahimacharan: Do you know in what way? Just as a bel tree may become a mango tree; it is enough that the obstacle goes out of the way. By the processe…
  10848. 45Girish: Well, sir, say what you like—call it the processes of yoga or call it what you like—that cannot be. Krishna alone can become Krishna. If all t…
  10849. 46Mahimacharan could not carry the debate very far. In the end he more or less came round to what Girish said.
  10850. 47Mahimacharan, to Girish: Yes, sir, both are true. The path of knowledge, that too is His will; and then prema-bhakti, His will. As this one says, by d…
  10851. 48Sri Ramakrishna, aside to Mahima: Well, am I not right in what I say?
  10852. 49Mahima: Yes, sir, it is as you have said. Both are true.
  10853. 50Sri Ramakrishna: You saw what faith he (Girish) has. He forgot to take his refreshments. If you had not accepted it, he would have torn out your throa…
  10854. 51Chapter Four
  10855. 52The Master in the Joy of Kirtan
  10856. 53The kirtan singer is there with his whole troupe, seated in the middle of the room. The moment the Master gives a sign, the kirtan begins. The Master…
  10857. 54Ram, to Sri Ramakrishna: Will you say what they are to sing?
  10858. 55Sri Ramakrishna: "What shall I say?" He thought a little. "Well—anuraga."
  10859. 56The kirtan singer is singing the purvaraga:
  10860. 57Ah, my Gora, jewel among the twice-born! Saying "Radha, Radha," he weeps and rolls on the ground. Gora repeats the name of Radha with utmost care; the…
  10861. 58The kirtan went on. The companions are telling of Srimati's state ever since she first saw Krishna on the bank of the Jamuna:
  10862. 59A hundred times an hour she goes out of the house; every moment she comes and goes. Her mind is restless, her sighs come thick and fast; she gazes tow…
  10863. 60The kirtan went on. The companions are saying to Srimati:
  10864. 61Tell us, tell us, Radha of the lovely face! What sickness has come upon you? Why do we see you so absent of mind? Why do you scratch the ground with y…
  10865. 62The kirtan singer sang again: Srimati has heard the sound of the flute and become like one gone mad. Srimati's words to her companions:
  10866. 63In the kadamba grove, who is it that dwells? How does the sound come here? What is this—all of a sudden, by the path of the ears, it has entered my in…
  10867. 64The song went on. Srimati's heart is restless for the sight of Krishna. Srimati is saying:
  10868. 65First I heard a wondrous sound coming from the kadamba grove; then the next day I heard of him in the minstrel's telling, and my heart was startled; a…
  10869. 66"Ah, the name of Krishna, full of all sweetness!" Hearing these words, the Master could sit no longer. Wholly lost to the outer world, he is standing.…
  10870. 67The singers are singing again. Visakha ran, fetched a painted picture and held it up before Srimati. In the picture is that form which delights the wo…
  10871. 68The kirtan, in Srimati's words:
  10872. 69The one I saw on the bank of the Jamuna, that one I see in this picture. He whose name Visakha spoke, it is he who is drawn in this picture. He whose…
  10873. 70The Master rose again and, with Narendra and the rest of his company, is singing sankirtan at the top of his voice:
  10874. 71(1) Those whose eyes stream as they say "Hari," they, they, the two brothers, have come. (Those who weep themselves and make the world weep) (those wh…
  10875. 72(2) Nadia sways to and fro, to and fro, on the surging waves of Gaur's love.
  10876. 73Once more the Master is in samadhi!
  10877. 74When the bhava had subsided, he took his seat again.
  10878. 75Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Which way I was facing when I sat, I don't remember now.
  10879. 76Chapter Five
  10880. 77Sri Ramakrishna and Narendra; Talk of Hazra; Narayana in the Form of a Cheat
  10881. 78The bhava having subsided, the Master is talking with the devotees.
  10882. 79Narendra, to Sri Ramakrishna: Hazra has turned good now.
  10883. 80Sri Ramakrishna: You don't know. There are people like that—a brick under the arm, and "Rama, Rama" on the lips.
  10884. 81Narendra: No, sir. I asked him about everything, and he says, "No."
  10885. 82Sri Ramakrishna: He has steadiness; he does a little japa and so on. But the way he is!—he doesn't pay the coachman his fare!
  10886. 83Narendra: No, sir. Why, he says, "I have paid"—
  10887. 84Sri Ramakrishna: Where would he get it to pay?
  10888. 85Narendra: He paid it from Ramlal or someone, I suppose.
  10889. 86Sri Ramakrishna: "Did you ask him about everything?
  10890. 87"I had prayed to the Mother: Mother, if Hazra is a fraud, remove him from here. I had told him so. Some days later he comes and says, You see, I'm sti…
  10891. 88"Hazra's mother had sent word through Ramlal: 'Let Ramlal's uncle send Hazra to me just once. I have cried and cried till I can't see with my eyes.' I…
  10892. 89Narendra: He will go home this time.
  10893. 90Sri Ramakrishna: Go home now, will he, the good-for-nothing rascal! Nonsense, nonsense, you don't understand. Gopal has said Hazra stayed a few days a…
  10894. 91Narendra: I asked him about it, and he says Ishan Babu had gone along to see him on his way. And then at Bhatpara he was honoured, too, by many brahmi…
  10895. 92Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "That little bit is the fruit of japa and austerity.
  10896. 93"And do you know, much depends on the bodily marks. Short, with a body pitted with hollows—that is not a good mark. Knowledge comes very late."
  10897. 94Bhavanath: Leave it, leave it—all that kind of talk.
  10898. 95Sri Ramakrishna: "It isn't that." To Narendra: "They say you know how to read people; so I am telling you this. Do you know how I see Hazra and everyo…
  10899. 96Mahimacharan: Yes, sir; all is Narayana.
  10900. 97Chapter Six
  10901. 98The Master Sri Ramakrishna and the Love of the Gopis
  10902. 99Girish, to Sri Ramakrishna: Sir, what is it they call one-sided love?
  10903. 100Sri Ramakrishna: "One-sided—that is, love from one side. As the water does not want the duck, but the duck loves the water. Then there are the sadhara…
  10904. 101"The highest state of all is samartha. Like Srimati's. She is happy in Krishna's happiness: You be happy, whatever becomes of me.
  10905. 102"This bhava of the gopis is a very high bhava.
  10906. 103"Do you know who the gopis are? Ramachandra, as he wandered from forest to forest—sixty thousand rishis had been sitting there, and he had looked at t…
  10907. 104A devotee: Sir! Whom do you call an intimate?
  10908. 105Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what it is like? Like the inner pillars of a natmandir and the outer pillars. Those who are always near—it is they who ar…
  10909. 106The Harmony of Jnanayoga and Bhaktiyoga; Bharadvaja and the Others, and Rama; Of Former Days; the Vision of the Formless; Giving Up the God with Form;…
  10910. 107Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahimacharan: "But the jnani wants neither form nor Avatar. As Ramachandra went through the forest, he came upon a number of rishi…
  10911. 108"Oh, what a state I went through! The mind would melt away into the Indivisible! So many days like that! I gave up all bhakti and bhaktas! I became in…
  10912. 109"I had all the pictures and things in the room taken away. Then again, when consciousness comes, as the mind comes down, my soul keeps tossing and flo…
  10913. 110* Bholanath Mukherji was then a clerk at Rasmani's temple estate; later he became the treasurer.
  10914. 111† The Mahabharata
  10915. 112Chapter Seven
  10916. 113Does One in Samadhi Return? The Nectar of His Life, Told by His Own Lips; Kuar Singh*
  10917. 114Mahimacharan, to Sri Ramakrishna: Sir, can one who is in samadhi return?
  10918. 115Sri Ramakrishna, aside to Mahim: "I shall tell you privately, all alone; you alone are fit to hear this.
  10919. 116"Kuar Singh used to ask that. Between the jiva and Isvara there is a great difference. By sadhana and worship the jiva can attain as far as samadhi. W…
  10920. 117Mahimacharan: Just so; otherwise how could they have written books?
  10921. 118Sri Ramakrishna: Then again, look: Prahlada, Narada, Hanuman—they too kept bhakti after samadhi.
  10922. 119Mahimacharan: Yes, sir.
  10923. 120Mere Knowledge or the Pursuit of Knowledge, and Knowledge after Samadhi; the 'I of Knowledge'
  10924. 121Sri Ramakrishna: "Some, because they pursue knowledge, think, What I have become. Perhaps they have read a little Vedanta. But when true knowledge com…
  10925. 122* Kuar Singh was a havildar of the sepoys.
  10926. 123"Do you know how it is? At high noon the sun rises right overhead. Then the man looks all around him, and there is no shadow any more. So when true kn…
  10927. 124"If the 'I' remains after true knowledge has come, then know that it is the 'I of knowledge,' the 'I of devotion,' the 'servant I.' It is not the 'I o…
  10928. 125"Again, jnana and bhakti are both paths—whichever path you go by, it is Him you will reach. The jnani sees Him in one way; the bhakta sees Him in anot…
  10929. 126Sri Ramakrishna and the Meaning of the Slaying of the Asuras in the Markandeya Chandi
  10930. 127Bhavanath is sitting near, listening to it all. Bhavanath is devoted to Narendra, and in these early days he is always going to the Brahmo Samaj.
  10931. 128Bhavanath, to Sri Ramakrishna: I have a question. I can't understand the Chandi. It is written in the Chandi that She is killing them all off, just li…
  10932. 129Sri Ramakrishna: All that is lila. I too used to think about that very thing. Then I saw that all is maya. His creation is maya, and His destruction i…
  10933. 130On the roof, on the west side of the room, the places have been laid. Now Girish invited the Master and the devotees to come, and led them there. It i…
  10934. 131The Master is mad with "Narendra," "Narendra." Narendra is sitting in the front row with the other devotees. Now and then the Master asks how he is ge…
  10935. 1Section Fifteen
  10936. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the House of Balaram Bose in Calcutta
  10937. 3Chapter One
  10938. 4Narendra and Hazra Mahashay
  10939. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in the drawing-room on the upper floor of Balaram's house. His face is smiling. He is talking with the de…
  10940. 6Today is Saturday, three o'clock in the afternoon, the tenth day of the dark fortnight of Baisakh, the ninth of May, 1885.
  10941. 7Balaram is not at home; as his health is poor, he has gone to Monghyr for a change of climate. His eldest daughter (now in heaven) has invited the Mas…
  10942. 8The Master is asking M. again and again, "You tell me, am I generous? Bhavanath says with a smile, "What is he going to say? He'll keep quiet!"
  10943. 9A Hindusthani beggar has come to sing. The devotees have heard one or two songs. Narendra has liked the singing. He has said to the singer, 'Sing agai…
  10944. 10Sri Ramakrishna: "Let it be, let it be, there's no need of more. Where is the money?" Then, to Narendra: "It was you who said it!"
  10945. 11A devotee, smiling: "Sir, he has taken you for an amir; you are sitting propped against a bolster." Everyone laughed.
  10946. 12Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: He may think I'm ill.
  10947. 13Talk turned to Hazra's pride. For some reason Hazra had had to leave the Kali temple at Dakshineswar and come away.
  10948. 14Narendra: Hazra admits it now; he had become proud.
  10949. 15Sri Ramakrishna: "Don't believe that. He is talking that way so as to come back to Dakshineswar." Then, to the devotees: "Narendra keeps on saying, 'H…
  10950. 16Narendra: I say so still.
  10951. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Why? You've heard all this.
  10952. 18Narendra: A little fault—but a good deal of virtue.
  10953. 19Sri Ramakrishna: "He has nishtha, that is true."
  10954. 20"He says to me: now you have no liking for me—but later on you will have to come looking for me. A goswami had come from Srirampore, of the line of Ad…
  10955. 21"Through sattva God is attained; rajas and tamas keep one apart from God. Sattva has been likened to the colour white, rajas to red, and tamas to blac…
  10956. 22"Hazra used to sit at Dakshineswar doing japa. And in the very midst of it he would be trying his hand at brokering! At home there is a debt of some t…
  10957. 23Desire Bars the Way to God; God Has the Nature of a Child
  10958. 24"Do you know, if there is a little desire, God is not attained. How subtle the course of dharma is! You are threading a needle—but if there is a littl…
  10959. 25"Thirty years of telling the beads, and yet why does nothing come of it? With a dakur sore, a bhabra of cow-dung cakes has to be applied. Without that…
  10960. 26"While desire remains, however much sadhana you may do, perfection is not attained. But there is one thing—if God's grace comes, if God takes pity, on…
  10961. 27"A poor man's son caught the eye of a rich man. He gave him his daughter in marriage. At once carriages and horses, menservants and maids, clothes, fu…
  10962. 28A devotee: Sir, how does grace come?
  10963. 29Sri Ramakrishna: God has the nature of a child. Say a boy is sitting with jewels in the fold of his cloth. So many people are going along the road. Ma…
  10964. 30Renunciation, Then the Attainment of God; Old Days; Sejo Babu's Bhava
  10965. 31Sri Ramakrishna: "Without renunciation God is not attained."
  10966. 32"Who will take up what I say? I am looking for a companion—a man of my own bhava. When I see a great devotee I think, this one, I suppose, will be abl…
  10967. 33"A ghost was looking for a companion. Whoever dies an accidental death on a Saturday or a Tuesday becomes a ghost. The ghost, the moment he sees someo…
  10968. 34"Sejo Babu had bhava. He stays like a drunken man all the time—can do no work at all. Then everyone says, if he goes on like this, who will look after…
  10969. 35Narendra Loses Consciousness; Two Stories of Guru and Disciple
  10970. 36"When Narendra first began coming, at the touch of a hand on his chest he lost consciousness. Then, when he came to himself, he began to weep and say,…
  10971. 37"A guru told his disciple, the world is unreal; come away with me. The disciple said, revered sir, these people love me so much—my father, my mother,…
  10972. 38"The disciple did just that. Wailing broke out in the house. Mother, wife, all of them are flinging themselves about and weeping. Just then a brahmin…
  10973. 39"Then they all stopped weeping and kept still. The mother said, why, this is a large household; if I go, who will look after all this? and saying so s…
  10974. 40"The disciple had been seeing and hearing it all. He sprang to his feet then, and said, Gurudev, come, I'll go with you." Everyone laughed.
  10975. 41"Another disciple had said to his guru, my wife takes such great care of me; for her sake, Gurudev, I can't go. This disciple used to practise hatha y…
  10976. 42"Now a difficulty arose. Being twisted and bent and stiff, he would not go out through the door. Then a neighbour ran and brought a chopper and began…
  10977. 43"Many people grieve for show. Knowing they will have to weep, first they take off the nose-ring and all their jewellery; then they lock it all up in a…
  10978. 44Chapter Two
  10979. 45Narendra and Others Reason About the Avatar Before Sri Ramakrishna
  10980. 46Narendra: Without Proof (evidence), how am I to believe that God comes as a man?
  10981. 47Girish: Faith itself is sufficient Proof (enough evidence). This thing here—what is the proof that it is here? Faith alone is the proof.
  10982. 48A devotee: Has any philosopher (any of the thinkers) been able to Prove it—that the External world (the world outside) is out there? What they have sa…
  10983. 49Girish, to Narendra: Even if he came before you, you'd not believe! Perhaps you'd say, he says, I am God, come as a man; he's a liar and a fraud.
  10984. 50The talk turned to this, that the gods are immortal.
  10985. 51Narendra: Where is the proof of that?
  10986. 52Girish: Even if they came in front of you, you'd not believe!
  10987. 53Narendra: Immortal, and existing in past ages—I want proof.
  10988. 54Mani is saying something to Paltu.
  10989. 55Paltu, to Narendra, smiling: What need is there of being beginningless? To be immortal, what is needed is being endless.
  10990. 56Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Narendra is a lawyer's son, Paltu a deputy's son." Everyone laughed.
  10991. 57All are silent for a little while.
  10992. 58Jogin, smiling, to Girish and the other devotees: He (the Master) doesn't take Narendra's word any longer.
  10993. 59Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "One day I was saying that the chatak drinks nothing but the sky's water. Narendra said, the chatak does drink this water to…
  10994. 60Is the Vision of God's Form an Error of the Mind?
  10995. 61Sri Ramakrishna: In Jadu Mallick's garden Narendra said, the forms of God and all that you see, that's an error of the mind. Then in amazement I said…
  10996. 62Sri Ramakrishna: The Scriptures and the Word of God, Revelation
  10997. 63The discussion begins again. Narendra is reasoning! His age now would be twenty-two years and four months.
  10998. 64Narendra, to Girish, M. and others: "And the scriptures—how am I to believe them either! The Mahanirvana Tantra says in one place, without the Knowled…
  10999. 65"The Sankhya philosophy says, 'Ishvarasiddheh'. That God exists cannot be proved. And then it says, the Vedas must be accepted, the Vedas are eternal.
  11000. 66"That isn't to say I'm saying none of this exists! I can't understand it—make me understand! The meaning of the scriptures—each has made of it whateve…
  11001. 67A devotee: The Gita was spoken by the Lord.
  11002. 68Sri Ramakrishna: The Gita is the essence of all the scriptures. If a sannyasi has nothing else with him, he will have one small Gita.
  11003. 69A devotee: The Gita was spoken by Sri Krishna!
  11004. 70Narendra: Sri Krishna spoke it, or what's-his-name spoke it!—
  11005. 71Sri Ramakrishna is listening to these words of Narendra in amazement.
  11006. 72Sri Ramakrishna: "This is all fine talk going on.
  11007. 73"The scriptures have two kinds of meaning—the meaning of the words and the inner meaning. It is the inner meaning one should take; the meaning that ag…
  11008. 74The talk turned again to the Avatar.
  11009. 75Narendra: If one has faith in God, that's all it takes! After that, where He is hanging or what He is doing—that's no concern of mine. Infinite univer…
  11010. 76Hearing 'infinite universes', 'infinite Avatars', Sri Ramakrishna joins his palms in salutation and says, 'Ah!'
  11011. 77Mani is saying something to Bhavanath.
  11012. 78Bhavanath: He says, "When I have never seen an elephant, how am I to know whether it can go through the eye of a needle or not? I don't know God, and…
  11013. 79Sri Ramakrishna: All things are possible. He works His magic! The juggler puts a knife down his throat and draws it out again. He eats up bricks and s…
  11014. 80Chapter Three
  11015. 81Sri Ramakrishna and Work; His State of the Knowledge of Brahman
  11016. 82A devotee: "The people of the Brahmo Samaj say that the work of the world is a duty. One cannot give up this work.
  11017. 83Girish: I saw something like that written in the Sulabh Samachar. But the works that are for knowing God—one can't get those very ones done, and then…
  11018. 84Sri Ramakrishna smiled a little, looked towards M. and signed with his eyes, 'What he is saying is right'.
  11019. 85M. understood: the path of ritual works is very hard.
  11020. 86Purna has come.
  11021. 87Sri Ramakrishna: Who sent you word!
  11022. 88Purna: Sarada.
  11023. 89Sri Ramakrishna, to the women devotees present: Listen, give him (Purna) a little something to eat, will you.
  11024. 90Now Narendra will sing. The Master and the devotees will listen. Narendra is singing—
  11025. 91Song: Mountain and sea. In the sky, O Rudra, wake, uplifted thunderbolt. God of gods, Mahadeva, Death of death, Mahakala, King of dharma, Sankara, Siv…
  11026. 92Song: Beautiful is Your name, O Refuge of the lowly, A stream of nectar flows, it soothes the ear, O Delight of the soul.
  11027. 93Song: Why do you not call, O mind, on Him who wards off the fear of danger: Forgetting always in vain delusion, you lie sunk in a stupor—what folly is…
  11028. 94Paltu: Will you sing this song?
  11029. 95Narendra: Which one?
  11030. 96Paltu: Seeing that matchless face of Yours, so full of love, What fear have I of the world, of sorrow, of the rod of dire mishap.
  11031. 97Narendra is singing that song—
  11032. 98Seeing that matchless face of Yours, so full of love, What fear have I of the world, of sorrow, of the rod of dire mishap. As, when the sun comes up,…
  11033. 99At M.'s request he is singing again. M. and many of the devotees are listening to the song with joined palms.
  11034. 100Song: Drink the wine of Hari's nectar, O my mind, and be drunk. Roll once upon the ground and weep, crying Hari, Hari. (Crying, Be my refuge, be my re…
  11035. 101Song: Meditate, O my mind, on Hari, Consciousness concentrated, the Stainless One.
  11036. 102Song: Wondrous and boundless is the world You have made.
  11037. 103Song: On the platter of the sky burn sun and moon as lamps, The ring of stars sparkles, pearls. The breeze from Malaya is incense, the wind waves the…
  11038. 104Song: On that One, the Ancient, the Stainless Purusha, set your mind at rest.
  11039. 105At Narayan's request Narendra is singing again—
  11040. 106Come, Mother, come, O Joy of my heart, Darling of my life. Be seated, Mother, on the seat of my heart; let me look upon You. From my birth I have live…
  11041. 107Sri Ramakrishna in the Shrine of Samadhi; His State of the Knowledge of Brahman
  11042. 108Narendra is singing to himself—
  11043. 109In deep darkness, Mother, that wealth of beauty of Yours flashes. So the yogi holds to meditation, a dweller in mountain caves.
  11044. 110Hearing this song of samadhi, the Master is passing into samadhi.
  11045. 111Narendra is singing that song once more—
  11046. 112Drink the wine of Hari's nectar, O my mind, and be drunk.
  11047. 113Sri Ramakrishna is in bhava. Facing north, leaning against the wall, his feet hanging down, he is sitting on the bolster. The devotees are seated all…
  11048. 114In bhava, the Master is talking with the Mother, alone. He is saying, "I'll eat now and go. You've come. Have you tied up your bundle, got hold of lod…
  11049. 115Is the Master saying, Mother, have You come? Are the Master and the Mother one and the same?
  11050. 116"Now I don't care for anyone.
  11051. 117"Mother, why should I listen to songs? With that, the mind will go partly outward!"
  11052. 118Little by little the Master is gaining more outward awareness. Looking towards the devotees he says, "Formerly I used to be astonished to see koi fish…
  11053. 119Bhavanath: Then one may do violence to a man!—kill him?
  11054. 120Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, in this state that may be. That state does not come to everyone.—The state of the Knowledge of Brahman.
  11055. 121He is not slain when the body is slain: the Gita, 2.20.
  11056. 122"When one comes down a step or two, then bhakti and the bhakta are dear!
  11057. 123"In God there are both vidya and avidya. This vidya maya leads one towards God; avidya maya leads man away from God. The play of vidya is—knowledge, d…
  11058. 124"Climb one more step and there is God—the Knowledge of Brahman! In this state it is truly felt—I truly see—that He alone has become everything! There…
  11059. 125"I was going along in a carriage—I saw two harlots standing on a verandah. I saw Bhagavati Herself, in person—and seeing Her, I bowed down!
  11060. 126"When this state first came, I could no longer worship Mother Kali or offer Her food. Haladhari and Hride said, the treasurer has said, if the Bhattac…
  11061. 127Attain this Knowledge of Brahman, and after that go about tasting the Lila. A sadhu has come to a city and is going about seeing the sights. Just then…
  11062. 128Bhavanath: This is very high talk.
  11063. 129Mani, to himself: The tasting of the Lila after the Knowledge of Brahman! Coming down below after samadhi!
  11064. 130Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and others: "Does the Knowledge of Brahman come so easily? It does not come unless the mind is destroyed. The guru had told the…
  11065. 131Biology: 'Natural Law' in the Spiritual World
  11066. 132"In this state only talk of Hari is pleasing; and the company of devotees.
  11067. 133Then, to Ram: "You are a doctor—only when it mixes with the blood and becomes one with it does it do its work. So too, in this state, God is within an…
  11068. 134Mani, to himself: Assimilation!
  11069. 135Sri Ramakrishna: "The state of the Knowledge of Brahman! It comes the moment the mind is destroyed. The moment the mind is destroyed the 'I' is destro…
  11070. 136"Suppose there are ten pots full of water, and the sun's reflection has fallen in them. How many suns can be seen?"
  11071. 137A devotee: Ten reflections. And then there is one real sun, after all.
  11072. 138Sri Ramakrishna: Suppose one pot was broken; now how many suns are seen?
  11073. 139A devotee: Nine; one real sun is there in any case.
  11074. 140Sri Ramakrishna: Very well, nine pots have been broken; how many suns will be seen?
  11075. 141A devotee: One reflected sun. One real sun is there in any case.
  11076. 142Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: When the last pot is broken, what is left?
  11077. 143Girish: Sir, that real sun.
  11078. 144Sri Ramakrishna: No. What is left cannot be put into words. What is, is. If there were no reflected sun, how would you know there is a real sun! In sa…
  11079. 145Chapter Four
  11080. 146Sri Ramakrishna's Assurance and Pledge to the Devotees
  11081. 147It is long past dusk. Lamps are burning in Balaram's drawing-room. Sri Ramakrishna is still in bhava, with the devotees around him. In bhava he says—
  11082. 148"No one else is here, so I'm telling you—whoever wants with his whole heart to know God, it is he who will attain, will surely, surely attain! He who…
  11083. 149"Those who are the people for now (the inner devotees) have all gathered. All the rest—those who will go from now on are people from outside. They too…
  11084. 150God Alone Is the Guru: The Jiva's One Way to Liberation
  11085. 151"Why does (the jiva's) mind not go towards God? Her (Mahamaya's) strength, again, is greater than God's. The bailiff has more power than the judge." E…
  11086. 152"Rama said to Narada, Narada, your hymn has pleased me greatly; take some boon from me! Narada said, Rama! may I have pure devotion at Your lotus feet…
  11087. 153"Everyone is bewitched by this world-enchanting maya. God has taken on a body—He too is bewitched. Rama went about weeping and weeping for Sita. 'Caug…
  11088. 154"There is one thing, though—God is free the moment He wills it!"
  11089. 155Bhavanath: The guard (of the train) shuts himself up inside the railway carriage of his own will; and again, he can get down the moment he wishes!
  11090. 156Sri Ramakrishna: The Ishvarakotis—the Avatars and the like—can be free the moment they will it. Those who are jivakotis cannot. The jivas are bound by…
  11091. 157Bhavanath, smiling: Like the third-class passengers of the railway (the travellers of the third class)—locked in, with no way of getting out!
  11092. 158Girish: If the jiva is bound fast like this, hand and foot, what way out has he now?
  11093. 159Sri Ramakrishna: Then, if God Himself, taking the form of the Guru, cuts the noose of maya, there is nothing more to fear.
  11094. 160Is the Master hinting that he himself has come, taking a body, in the form of the Guru, to cut the jiva's noose of maya?
  11095. 1Section Sixteen
  11096. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in a Devotee's Home
  11097. 3Chapter One
  11098. 4Sri Ramakrishna at Ram's House
  11099. 5The Master Sri Ramakrishna has come to Ram's house. In the sitting room on its lower floor the Master is seated, with the devotees all round him. His…
  11100. 6Today is Saturday, the tenth lunar day of the bright fortnight of Jyaishtha; 23 May 1885, about five o'clock in the afternoon. In front of the Master…
  11101. 7Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: The younger Naren has not come?
  11102. 8The younger Naren arrived a short while later.
  11103. 9Sri Ramakrishna: He has not come?
  11104. 10M.: Sir?
  11105. 11Sri Ramakrishna: Kishori?—Won't Girish Ghosh come?—Won't Narendra come?
  11106. 12Narendra came a little later and bowed down.
  11107. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: "It would have been fine if Kedar—Chatterji—were here! He is very much of one mind with Girish Ghosh." To Mahima, sm…
  11108. 14Arrangements have been made in the room for singing kirtan. The kirtan singer, his palms joined, is saying to the Master, If you give the word, the si…
  11109. 15The Master is saying, I will drink a little water.
  11110. 16Having drunk the water he took a few spices from his spice pouch. He asked M. to close the pouch.
  11111. 17The kirtan is going on. At the sound of the khol the Master is passing into bhava. As he listens to the Gaurachandrika he is wholly in samadhi. Nityag…
  11112. 18Yoga, Subjective and Objective, Identity of God (the Absolute), the Soul and the Cosmos
  11113. 19The Master, a little restored to his natural state, is speaking: "From the Nitya, the Lila; from the Lila, the Nitya." To Nityagopal: "What about you?…
  11114. 20Nitya, humbly: Both are good.
  11115. 21Sri Ramakrishna says, his eyes shut: Is it only like this? With the eyes shut He is, and the moment the eyes open He is not! He whose is the Nitya, Hi…
  11116. 22Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: I'll tell you once, my dear—
  11117. 23Mahimacharan: Sir, both are God's will.
  11118. 24Sri Ramakrishna: One person climbs to the top of a seven-storeyed house and can no longer come down; then again another climbs up and can come and go…
  11119. 25"Uddhava had told the gopis: the one you are calling your Krishna is in all beings; He alone has become the jivas and the world.
  11120. 26"So I say, the moment the eyes are shut it is meditation, and when the eyes open there's nothing more?"
  11121. 27Mahima: There is one thing I would ask.
  11122. 28A devotee: But surely at some time or other this one needs Nirvana?
  11123. 29From Former Days: Tota's Weeping—Is Nirvana the End of Life?
  11124. 30Sri Ramakrishna: It is not at all that Nirvana is needed. There is this, that the eternal Krishna has His eternal devotees! Syam made of Spirit, the a…
  11125. 31"As where the moon is, there the stars are too. The eternal Krishna, the eternal devotee! You yourself say it, don't you, If Hari is within and withou…
  11126. 32* If Hari is within and without, what need then of austerity? If Hari is not within and without, what need then of austerity? If Hari is worshipped, w…
  11127. 33"The pestle, destroyer of the clan." However much they had ground the pestle down, wearing it away and away, a tiny bit of it was left. By that very t…
  11128. 34The devotees are listening in silence. With a smile, the Master is saying to Mahimacharan: What do you like?
  11129. 35Mahima, smiling: Nothing at all; I like mangoes.
  11130. 36Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What, all alone by yourself? Or will you eat too and give everyone a little each?
  11131. 37Mahima, smiling: I haven't so much wish to give; on my own will do.
  11132. 38The True Bhava of the Master Sri Ramakrishna
  11133. 39Sri Ramakrishna: But do you know what my bhava is? When the eyes open, is He then no longer there? I take both, Nitya and Lila.
  11134. 40"When one gains Him, one can know: He alone is Svarat, He alone is Virat. He alone is the indivisible Satchidananda; He alone, again, has become the j…
  11135. 41Book Knowledge of the Scriptures Alone Is False; Practice Brings Direct Knowledge
  11136. 42"Sadhana is needed—merely reading the scriptures won't do. I saw Vidyasagar—he has read a great deal, but he has not seen what is within. He finds his…
  11137. 43Mahima: There is much work in the world; where is the leisure for sadhana?
  11138. 44Sri Ramakrishna: Why, don't you yourself say it is all like a dream?
  11139. 45"Seeing the ocean before them, Lakshmana took bow and arrow in his hand and said in anger, I shall slay Varuna; this ocean will not let us go to Lanka…
  11140. 46Mahimacharan remained silent.
  11141. 47Karma Yoga or Bhakti Yoga?—Who Is the True Guru?
  11142. 48Mahimacharan has a great deal of work in the world. And he has started a new school, for the good of others.
  11143. 49The Master Sri Ramakrishna is speaking again—
  11144. 50Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: Sambhu said—It is my wish to spend this money on good works: to set up schools and dispensaries, to make roads and ghats.…
  11145. 51A devotee: Sir! What way is there for worldly people?
  11146. 52Sri Ramakrishna: Holy company; hearing talk of God.
  11147. 53"Worldly people are drunk, maddened with woman and gold. Give a drunkard water from a sieve a little at a time, and little by little, as he is given i…
  11148. 54"And one must take instruction from a true guru. A true guru has his marks. One who has gone to Kasi and has seen it—from him you must hear about Kasi…
  11149. 55"Samadhyayi said God is dry, without rasa. He who is Rasa itself—Him he called without rasa! It is as one man said, At my uncle's house there's a cows…
  11150. 56Ignorance: "I" and "Mine"; Knowledge and Vijnana
  11151. 57"Worldly people are drunk. All the time they think, It is I who am doing all this. And house and family, all this is mine. Teeth bared, he says, 'What…
  11152. 58Haramohan: Rakhal said that?
  11153. 59Sri Ramakrishna: What else would he do but say that? Whoever has knowledge has ignorance. Lakshmana said to Rama, Rama, what a wonder is this! Vasisht…
  11154. 60"It is as when a thorn has pricked someone's foot: to get that thorn out he finds another thorn and brings it. Then, after taking the thorn out with t…
  11155. 61"To gain this Vijnana one has to take refuge in vidyamaya. God is real, the world is impermanent: this reasoning—that is, discrimination and dispassio…
  11156. 62Climbing on to the roof: that is, attaining God.
  11157. 63Worldly People, and the Boys Who Renounce Woman and Gold
  11158. 64"The worldly-minded are drunk—maddened with woman and gold, senseless—and that is why I love the boys. Woman and gold have not yet got into them. They…
  11159. 65"It is like mangoes struck by hail: they must be taken with Ganges water. They are hardly ever given in the service of the deity; one must regard them…
  11160. 66With Sri Aswini Kumar Dutta and the son of Sri Behari Bhaduri, a Theosophist had come. The Mukherjis came and bowed down before the Master. Preparatio…
  11161. 67Bhavanath is introducing Aswini. The Master points Aswini out to M. The two are talking; Narendra comes into the courtyard. The Master says to Aswini,…
  11162. 1Section Seventeen
  11163. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar with the Captain, Narendra and Other Devotees
  11164. 3Chapter One
  11165. 4The Beginning of the Master's Throat Illness
  11166. 5Sri Ramakrishna is resting in that same familiar room in the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. Today is Saturday, the thirteenth of June, 1885, the first d…
  11167. 6Panditji is sitting on a mat on the floor. A grief-stricken brahmin woman is standing beside the north door of the room. Kishori is there too. M. came…
  11168. 7Sri Ramakrishna is somewhat unwell. A swelling has come in his throat, with something like a cold. This is the very first beginning of the illness of…
  11169. 8Because of the great heat M.'s health too is poor. He has not been able to come to Dakshineswar often to see the Master.
  11170. 9Sri Ramakrishna: So here you are. What a fine bel-fruit! How are you?
  11171. 10M.: Sir, I am a little better than before.
  11172. 11Sri Ramakrishna: "The heat is terrible! Eat ice a little at a time. I too have suffered, my dear, from the great heat. In the hot weather I had too mu…
  11173. 12"I have said to the Mother, Mother! Make me well, and I won't eat kulfi any more.
  11174. 13"Then I said further, I won't eat ice either.
  11175. 14Sri Ramakrishna and Truthful Speech: His State as a Jnani and as a Bhakta
  11176. 15"Once I have said to the Mother 'I won't eat it,' it can't be eaten any more. Still, I may forget like that, all of a sudden. I had said I would not e…
  11177. 16"But knowingly it can't be done. The other day I told someone to bring the water-pot towards the tamarisk grove. Now, he had gone to the privy, so ano…
  11178. 17"When I was giving up everything, offering flowers at the Mother's lotus feet, I began to say, 'Mother! Here, take Your purity, here, take Your impuri…
  11179. 18A devotee has brought ice. The Master keeps asking M., again and again, "Tell me, shall I eat it?"
  11180. 19M. says humbly, "Sir, then please do not eat it without consulting the Mother."
  11181. 20In the end the Master did not eat the ice.
  11182. 21Sri Ramakrishna: "Purity and impurity—these belong to bhakti and the bhakta. Not to the jnani. Vijay's mother-in-law said, 'Why, what has come to me?…
  11183. 22Then, to M.: "Why do I eat with five kinds of curry? For fear that, if I became one-sided, I should have to let these (the devotees) go.
  11184. 23"I said to Keshab Sen, 'If I spoke to you of things further on, your party and all that would not last!'
  11185. 24"In the state of the jnani, party and all that is false—like a dream....
  11186. 25"I gave up fish. At first it was hard; afterwards it was not so hard. If someone burns a bird's nest, it flies about and about; it takes the sky for i…
  11187. 26"Before, I was in that state of the jnani. I did not like people. I heard that there was such-and-such a jnani at Hatkhola, or such-and-such a bhakta;…
  11188. 27M. is astonished, listening to how the Master's state changed. Now the Master is telling why God becomes man and comes as an Incarnation.
  11189. 28The Hidden Meaning of the Incarnation, or the Play as Man: Dwija and Tendencies from a Former Birth
  11190. 29Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "Do you know why there is the play in human form? In it one gets to hear His words? In it is His sport; in it He tastes the jo…
  11191. 30"And in all the devotees it is He alone who is manifest, a little in each! As when one sucks and sucks at a thing and gets a little juice, sucks and s…
  11192. 31M.: Yes, sir, I have understood it well.
  11193. 32The Master is talking with Dwija. Dwija is fifteen or sixteen years old; his father has married a second time. Dwija often comes with M. The Master is…
  11194. 33Sri Ramakrishna, to Dwija: Your brothers too? Do they look down on me?
  11195. 34Dwija is silent.
  11196. 35M.: Let them take a few more knocks from the world, and whatever bit of disdain they have will go.
  11197. 36Sri Ramakrishna: There is a stepmother; they are taking blows (Blow) as it is.
  11198. 37Everyone is silent for a while.
  11199. 38Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Do bring this one (Dwija) to meet Purna, won't you?
  11200. 39M.: "Yes, sir." Then, to Dwija: "Go to Panihati."
  11201. 40Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, that is what I am telling everybody—send this one; send that one." Then, to M.: "Won't you go?"
  11202. 41The Master is going to the great festival at Panihati. That is why he is telling the devotees to go there.
  11203. 42M.: Sir, I mean to.
  11204. 43Sri Ramakrishna: It will be a big boat; it won't rock. Won't Girish Ghosh go?
  11205. 44"Yes" and "No": "Everlasting Yea—Everlasting Nay"
  11206. 45The Master is gazing at Dwija with a steady look.
  11207. 46Sri Ramakrishna: Well, there are so many boys; why should this one come? You tell me—surely there was something from before!
  11208. 47M.: Yes, sir.
  11209. 48Sri Ramakrishna: "Samskara. The karma has been done in the former birth. One becomes guileless in the last birth. In the last birth there is something…
  11210. 49"But do you know what it is?—His will. By His 'Yes' everything in the world is coming to be; by His 'No' the coming to be is stopped. Why must a man n…
  11211. 50"By man's will nothing happens; it is by His will alone that things happen—and go!
  11212. 51"The other day I went to the Captain's place. I saw some boys going along the road. They were of a certain sort. I saw one boy, nineteen or twenty yea…
  11213. 52"Some I see in deep tamas—playing the flute—and from that alone a little pride has come. (To Dwija) He who has gained knowledge, what has he to fear f…
  11214. 53"I saw (so-and-so's) father going along the road."
  11215. 54M.: The man is quite simple.
  11216. 55Sri Ramakrishna: But his eyes are red.
  11217. 56The Captain's Character and Sri Ramakrishna: The Union of Purusha and Prakriti
  11218. 57The Master had gone to the Captain's house—he is telling the story of that visit. The Captain had spoken ill of the boys who come to the Master. He ha…
  11219. 58Sri Ramakrishna: "I was talking with the Captain. I said, there is nothing at all but Purusha and Prakriti. Narada had said, O Rama, every man You see…
  11220. 59"The Captain was delighted. He said, 'It is you who have truly understood: every man, as a part of Rama, is Rama; every woman, as a part of Sita, is S…
  11221. 60"This he said—and right after it he began to run down the boys! He says, 'They read English—they eat anything at all; they keep going to you—that is n…
  11222. 61"After that I gave his pyan (prana) a good pounding. His daughter began to laugh. I said, God is very far from the man who has a worldly mind. If ther…
  11223. 62"Then the Captain says, Yes, well, that is right. After that I said, Just now you said every man, as a part of Rama, is Rama, every woman, as a part o…
  11224. 63"The Captain said, That's so, but you don't love everybody!
  11225. 64"I said, 'Apo Narayanah'—it is all water, but some water can be drunk, in some one may bathe, with some one may wash oneself clean. Here, your wife an…
  11226. 65Saying this, the Master began to laugh. Now he is telling how many good qualities the Captain has.
  11227. 66Sri Ramakrishna: "The Captain has many good qualities. His daily rites every day—he worships the deity himself—and how many mantras for the bath alone…
  11228. 67The Captain and Learning: The Captain and the Master's State
  11229. 68"I began to scold the Captain; I said, It is your reading that has spoilt everything for you. Don't read any more!
  11230. 69"Of my state the Captain said, it is a soaring bhava! There is the jivatman and the Paramatman; the jivatman is like a bird, and the Paramatman like t…
  11231. 70The Householder Devotee and Sri Ramakrishna: How Long Must Works Go On?
  11232. 71"The Captain's father was a great devotee. He served as a subahdar in the English army. On the battlefield, when the hour of worship came, he would do…
  11233. 72Then, to M.: "But do you know how it is? Worldly work day and night!—wife and children all around him, whenever I go, I see it! And then from time to…
  11234. 73"I said, But must works be done for ever? How long does the bee go on buzzing? Until it settles on a flower. When it drinks the honey, the buzzing goe…
  11235. 74Purna and M.: Marriage by Force, and Sri Ramakrishna
  11236. 75The Master is asking M. about Purna.
  11237. 76Sri Ramakrishna: "If I see Purna once more, my yearning will ease a little!—How clever he is!—He is strongly drawn to me; he says, My heart too aches…
  11238. 77M.: If they (Vidyasagar) say, It was because of you that he was taken out of the school—then I have a way to answer.
  11239. 78Sri Ramakrishna: What will you say?
  11240. 79M.: I shall say this: in holy company one thinks of God, and that is surely no bad thing; and in the very books you have given us to teach it is writt…
  11241. 80The Master is laughing.
  11242. 81Sri Ramakrishna: "At the Captain's house I called the younger Naren. I said, Where is your house? Come, let's go.—He said, 'Please come.' But he walke…
  11243. 82Then, to Akhil Babu's neighbour: 'Well, you haven't come for a long time. It must be seven or eight months."
  11244. 83The neighbour: Sir, it must be a year.
  11245. 84Sri Ramakrishna: Another gentleman used to come with you.
  11246. 85The neighbour: Yes, sir, Nilmani Babu.
  11247. 86Sri Ramakrishna: "Why doesn't he come?—Do ask him to come once; let me meet him." Then, looking at the boy who had come with the neighbour: "Who is th…
  11248. 87The neighbour: This boy's home is in Assam.
  11249. 88Sri Ramakrishna: Where is Assam? In which direction?
  11250. 89Dwija is speaking of Ashu. Ashu's father means to have him married. Ashu has no wish for it.
  11251. 90Sri Ramakrishna: Look, look, he has no wish for it, and they are marrying him off by force.
  11252. 91The Master is telling a devotee to revere his elder brother: "The elder brother is as a father; honour him greatly."
  11253. 92Chapter Two
  11254. 93Sri Ramakrishna and the Truth of Sri Radhika: The Truth of Birth and Death
  11255. 94Panditji is sitting there; he is a man from the North-West Provinces.
  11256. 95Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to M.: He is a great scholar of the Bhagavata.
  11257. 96M. and the devotees are gazing steadily at Panditji.
  11258. 97Sri Ramakrishna, to the pandit: Well, ji! What is Yogamaya?
  11259. 98Panditji gave an explanation of Yogamaya of a sort.
  11260. 99Sri Ramakrishna: Why is Radhika not called Yogamaya?
  11261. 100Panditji gave an answer of a sort to this question as well. Then the Master himself is saying, Radhika is pure sattva, full of love! In Yogamaya all t…
  11262. 101"Satchidananda Himself created Radhika so as to taste the joy. Radha came forth from the body of Satchidananda Krishna. Satchidananda Krishna alone is…
  11263. 102"So it is in the books of the Vaishnavas that Radha, when she was born, did not open her eyes; that is, the feeling was—whom else should I see with th…
  11264. 103The Difference between a Worldly Man and a Pure-Souled Boy
  11265. 104Panditji is taking leave of the Master.
  11266. 105Panditji: I am going home.
  11267. 106Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: Something has come into your hands.
  11268. 107Panditji: The market is very slack. No earnings!—
  11269. 108After a while Panditji bowed down to the Master and took his leave.
  11270. 109Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "Look—how great a difference there is between the worldly and these boys. Night and day this pandit is crying money, money! It…
  11271. 110"The boys will not like the company of the worldly. Rakhal used to say now and then, When I see a worldly man coming I feel afraid.
  11272. 111"When this state first came to me, I used to shut the door of the room when I saw a worldly man coming.
  11273. 112Grief at the Loss of a Son or Daughter, and Sri Ramakrishna: Talk of Former Days
  11274. 113"In my village I loved Sriram Mallick so much, but when he came here I could not touch him.
  11275. 114In boyhood there was a great love between Sriram and me. We were together night and day. We used to lie down to sleep together. We were sixteen or sev…
  11276. 115"How many times I have sent people, wanting to see Sriram; now he has set up a shop at Chanak! He came the other day and stayed here two days.
  11277. 116"Sriram said, No children were born to us. I was bringing up my nephew, and he has died. As he was telling it Sriram heaved a long sigh and tears came…
  11278. 117"Then he said, because no child was born, all his wife's affection had fallen on that nephew; now she is beside herself with grief. I tell her, You cr…
  11279. 118"He says 'crazy one'—he has become altogether diluted (dilute)! I could not touch him. I saw there was nothing left in him."
  11280. 119The Master is saying all these things about grief; meanwhile, near the north door of the room, that grief-stricken brahmin woman is standing. The brah…
  11281. 120Standing there, the brahmin woman heard of Sriram Mallick's grief at the loss of his nephew. For some days she has been running and running from Baghb…
  11282. 121Sri Ramakrishna, to the brahmin woman and the devotees: "A man had come. After sitting a little while he is saying, let me go and see my child's moon-…
  11283. 122"I could not hold back any more. I said, Why, you rascal! Get up out of here?—your child's moon-face rather than God's moon-face?
  11284. 123The Truth of Birth and Death: The Juggler's Trick
  11285. 124Then, to M.: "Do you know how it is? God alone is real and all else impermanent! The jiva, the world, house and home, children, all this is the juggle…
  11286. 125"Siva is sitting on Kailas, with Nandi near him. Just then there was a great loud sound. Nandi asked, Lord! What was that sound? Siva said, 'Ravana ha…
  11287. 126'God is like a great ocean, and the jivas like bubbles; in Him they are born, in Him they dissolve.
  11288. 127"Sons and daughters—like five or six little bubbles along with one big bubble.
  11289. 128"God alone is real. How bhakti for Him may come, how He may be attained—make that your effort now. What will grieving do?"
  11290. 129All are silent. The brahmin woman said, 'Then I'll take my leave.'
  11291. 130Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly, to the brahmin woman: Will you go now? The sun is so fierce!—Why, you will go by carriage with these people.
  11292. 131Today is the last day of the month of Jyaishtha; it is about three or four in the afternoon. The heat is fierce. A devotee brought the Master a new sa…
  11293. 132Chapter Three
  11294. 133The Ripe "I," or the Servant "I"
  11295. 134The Captain has come, bringing his children with him.
  11296. 135The Master said to Kishori, "Do take them round and show them everything—the temple garden!" The Master is talking with the Captain.
  11297. 136M., Dwija and the other devotees are sitting on the floor. The schoolmaster from Dumdum has come too. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the small bedstead…
  11298. 137Sri Ramakrishna: I was telling these people about you—how much devotion, how much worship, how many kinds of arati!
  11299. 138The Captain, bashfully: What worship—what arati can I do? What am I?
  11300. 139Sri Ramakrishna: "The 'I' that is attached to woman and gold—it is that 'I' alone that does harm. 'I am the servant of God'—in this 'I' there is no ha…
  11301. 140"With this ego one can love Satchidananda. The ego is not going to go—so let it be 'the servant I', 'the devotee's I'. Otherwise, what would a man hav…
  11302. 141The Captain: When Sri Krishna is in Vrindavan, without any splendour at all, the gopis loved Him, even then, more than life. So Krishna had said, How…
  11303. 142Sri Ramakrishna is becoming overwhelmed with bhava. 'Govinda!' 'Govinda!' 'Govinda!' As he is saying this he is becoming rapt! He is almost unconsciou…
  11304. 143The Captain and the assembled devotees are watching this wonderful state of love in the Master. Until he comes back to his normal state, they sit in s…
  11305. 144Sri Ramakrishna: And then?
  11306. 145The Captain: He is beyond the reach of yogis—'yogibhir agamyam'—beyond the reach of yogis like you; but within the reach of the gopis. He whom the yog…
  11307. 146Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: With the gopis there was eating, playing, weeping, making loving demands—all of that.
  11308. 147Sri Bankim and the Life of Sri Krishna: The Doctrine of the Incarnation
  11309. 148A devotee said, 'Sri Bankim has written a life of Krishna."
  11310. 149Sri Ramakrishna: Bankim accepts Sri Krishna, but he does not accept Srimati.
  11311. 150The Captain: He doesn't accept the lila, I suppose?
  11312. 151Sri Ramakrishna: And then, I hear, he says that lust and the like—all this is needed.
  11313. 152The master from Dumdum: In the Navajivan Bankim has written—the need of religion is this, that all the faculties, physical, mental, spiritual and the…
  11314. 153The Captain: 'Lust and the like are needed'—then he does not accept the lila. God became man and came to Vrindavan, the lila of Radha and Krishna—that…
  11315. 154The Incarnation of the Full Brahman: The Difference between Mere Learning and Direct Seeing—Mere Booklearning and Realisation
  11316. 155Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Those things aren't in the newspaper, so how can anyone accept them!
  11317. 156"A man came and said to his friend, 'I say! Yesterday I was going through that neighbourhood, and just then I saw that house come crashing down.' The…
  11318. 157The Captain: 'Krishnastu bhagavan svayam.' When one speaks of it, one has to speak of the whole and the part.
  11319. 158Sri Ramakrishna: The whole and the part—like fire and its sparks. The Incarnation is for the bhakta—not for the jnani. In the Adhyatma Ramayana it is…
  11320. 159The Captain: 'Vachya-vachaka', that is, the pervaded and the pervader.
  11321. 160Sri Ramakrishna: 'The pervader', that is, like one small form, as the Incarnation has taken a human form.
  11322. 161Chapter Four
  11323. 162Ego Is the Cause of Ruin and the Obstacle to Attaining God
  11324. 163Everyone is seated. The Master is talking with the Captain and the devotees. Just then Jaygopal Sen of the Brahmo Samaj and Trailokya came, bowed down…
  11325. 164Sri Ramakrishna: "Because there is ego, God is not seen. In front of the door of God's house lies this log of a tree, this ego. Unless one steps over…
  11326. 165"A man had gained power over a ghost. Having gained it, the moment he called, the ghost came at once. It came and said, Tell me what work I am to do.…
  11327. 166"Unless ego is given up, God's grace does not come.
  11328. 167"In a house where a ceremony is being held, if one man is made the storekeeper, the master of the house does not come so long as he stays in the store…
  11329. 168"It is the minor alone who has a guardian. A child cannot look after his property himself; the king takes charge of it. Unless ego is given up, God do…
  11330. 169"In Vaikuntha Lakshmi and Narayana are sitting; suddenly Narayana stood up. Lakshmi had been serving His feet. 'Lord,' she said, 'where are You going?…
  11331. 170Former Days: Keshab and Gauri—The Attitude of the Servant after the State of "I Am He"
  11332. 171"I had told Keshab Sen, 'The ego has to be given up.' At that Keshab said—Then, sir, how can the party hold together?
  11333. 172"I said, 'What sort of understanding is this of yours!—Give up the unripe "I"—the "I" that makes one attached to woman and gold; but the ripe "I", the…
  11334. 173Trailokya: It is very hard for ego to go. People think, I suppose it has gone.
  11335. 174Sri Ramakrishna: "For fear of ego, Gauri would not say 'I'—he would say 'this one'. Following his example I too used to say 'this one'; I would say, n…
  11336. 175"I said to Keshab, The 'I' is not going to go, so let it stay in the attitude of a servant—like a servant. Prahlada lived in two moods: sometimes he f…
  11337. 176The Signs of the Knowledge of Brahman: The Devotee's "I": The Giving Up of Works
  11338. 177Then, to the Captain: 'When the knowledge of Brahman comes, certain signs can be seen. In the Srimad Bhagavata the four states of the jnani are told—(…
  11339. 178"At times he stays like inert matter. In this state he cannot do works; works fall away. But if you say that Janaka and others did works—well, do you…
  11340. 179Sri Ramakrishna is speaking of the giving up of works, and again, to those who are attached to works, he has told them to do works without attachment.
  11341. 180Sri Ramakrishna: When knowledge comes, one cannot do much work.
  11342. 181Trailokya: Why? Pavhari Baba is such a yogi, yet he settles people's quarrels and disputes—he even decides lawsuits.
  11343. 182Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, yes—that's so. Durgacharan the doctor was such a drunkard, he would be drinking twenty-four hours of the day, but when it came…
  11344. 183'It is God who is doing everything; we are His instruments. In front of the Kali temple some Sikhs had said, 'God is compassionate.' I said, Compassio…
  11345. 184The Captain: Yes, sir; one does not feel that He is one's own.
  11346. 185The Devotee and Worship: God Loves His Devotees: The Perfect Jnani
  11347. 186Sri Ramakrishna: "Then shall one not say 'compassionate'? So long as one is in the state of sadhana, so long one will say it. When He is attained, the…
  11348. 187"In the state of sadhana one has to say everything to Him. Hazra said to Narendra one day, 'God is infinite; His splendour is infinite. Will He eat sw…
  11349. 188"At once Narendra sank ten cubits down. Then I said to Hazra, What a wretch you are! If you say such things to them, where are they to stand? If bhakt…
  11350. 189"He is in the power of His devotees! Duryodhana showed so much attention and said, Take your meal here; but the Lord (Sri Krishna) went to Vidura's hu…
  11351. 190"One more sign of the perfect jnani—like a ghoul'! No discrimination about eating—no discrimination of pure and impure! The perfect jnani and the perf…
  11352. 191The Man of Works and Sri Ramakrishna: How Long Must Works Go On?
  11353. 192"So long as there is a desire to enjoy the world, one cannot give up works. So long as there is hope of enjoyment, so long there are works.
  11354. 193"On the mast of a ship a bird was sitting, its mind elsewhere. The ship was in the Ganges, and by degrees it came out into the great ocean. Then the b…
  11355. 194"After a long while the bird flew off again—this time it went to the east. It could see nothing in that direction; all around, only the shoreless sea!…
  11356. 195The Captain: Ah, what an illustration!
  11357. 196Yearning after Enjoyment Is Done, and the Attainment of God
  11358. 197Sri Ramakrishna: "When worldly people go round and round on every side for happiness, and do not find it, and in the end are worn out; when, attached…
  11359. 198"But what enjoyment will one have in the world? The enjoyment of woman and gold? That is a joy of a moment! Here it is, and now it is gone!
  11360. 199"Clouds and rain hang about almost always; the sun cannot be seen! The share of sorrow is the greater! And the cloud of woman and gold does not let on…
  11361. 200"Some people ask me, 'Sir, why did God make the world like this? Is there no way out for us?
  11362. 201The Way: Yearning: Renunciation
  11363. 202"I say, Why should there be no way? Take refuge in Him, and pray with yearning that a favouring wind may blow—that an auspicious conjunction may come…
  11364. 203"A man's son was at death's door. The man, in his anguish, was going about asking this one and that one for a remedy. One of them said, If you can get…
  11365. 204"At once the man, in his anguish, set out under the star Swati to search for that medicine! Just then it is raining. Then in his anguish he is saying…
  11366. 205'If one takes refuge in God and calls on Him with yearning, He will hear—He will surely hear—and He will bring every opportunity about."
  11367. 206The Captain: What an illustration!
  11368. 207Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, He brings the opportunity about. Perhaps—you did not marry, and could give your whole mind to God. Perhaps your brothers began…
  11369. 208The World after God Is Attained: Janaka and Others
  11370. 209"But after gaining knowledge some live in the world. They can see both, inside the house and out. The light of knowledge falls within the world, so th…
  11371. 210"Those who are ignorant, who do not accept God and yet live in the world, live as if in a house of mud. In the dim light they can see only the inside…
  11372. 211"God alone is the doer, and all else is His instrument.
  11373. 212"So even the jnani has no room for pride. He who wrote the Mahimnastava had grown proud. When Siva's bull bared its teeth and showed them, then his pr…
  11374. 213"Playing the guru is not good. Unless one has God's command, one cannot be a teacher. He who says of himself, I am a 'guru', is a man of mean understa…
  11375. 214Trailokya is seated on the floor at the north side of the small bedstead. Trailokya is going to sing. Sri Ramakrishna is saying, "Ah! What a song you…
  11376. 215To You I have given my heart; whatever there is, it is You alone.
  11377. 216Song: You are my all in all (O Lord!), the stay of my life, the essence of essences. Without You there is none in the three worlds whom I may call my…
  11378. 217Hearing the song, Sri Ramakrishna is being carried away in bhava. And he is saying, "Ah! You alone are all! Ah! Ah!"
  11379. 218The singing ended. It is past six o'clock. The Master is going towards the tamarisk grove to wash his face. M. is with him.
  11380. 219The Master is going along laughing and chatting. Suddenly he said to M., "Why, didn't you people eat? And didn't they eat?"
  11381. 220The Master is anxious that the devotees should be given prasad.
  11382. 221Narendra and Sri Ramakrishna
  11383. 222Today, after dusk, the Master is to go to Calcutta. Coming back from the tamarisk grove he is saying to M., "Well now, whose carriage shall I go in?"
  11384. 223Evening has come. In the Master's room the lamp was lit, and incense is being burnt. The lamp-man lit the lamps in every part of the temple garden! Th…
  11385. 224Sitting on the small bedstead, after chanting the names of the deities, Sri Ramakrishna is meditating on the Mother. The arati is over. After a while…
  11386. 225Just then Narendra arrived. With him were Sarat and one or two other boys. They came and bowed down to the ground.
  11387. 226At the sight of Narendra the Master's love welled over. As one fondles a little child, the Master began to fondle Narendra, touching his face with his…
  11388. 227The Master is standing in the room, facing west. Narendra and a few other boys have bowed down to the Master and, facing east, are talking in front of…
  11389. 228M.: Yes, sir; then let it be for today.
  11390. 229Sri Ramakrishna: "All right, I'll go tomorrow, by boat or else by carriage." Then, to the other devotees: "Well then, you may go for today; night has…
  11391. 230The devotees all bowed down one by one and took their leave.
  11392. 1Section Twenty-Three
  11393. 2The Holy Car Festival at Balaram's House
  11394. 3Chapter One
  11395. 4Purna, the Younger Naren, Gopal's Mother
  11396. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in the parlour of Balaram's house. It is the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of Asharh, Monday, 1…
  11397. 6Tomorrow is the holy Car Festival. For the festival Balaram has invited the Master and brought him. In the house the image of Sri Sri Jagannath has it…
  11398. 7The Master is talking with M. Near him are Narayan, Tejchandra, Balaram and many other devotees. The talk is about Purna. Purna must be fifteen. The M…
  11399. 8Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Well, by which way will he—Purna—come to see me?—It is you who must bring Dwija and Purna together.
  11400. 9"People of one nature and one age, I bring together. There is a meaning in it. Both of them make progress. You have seen what love Purna has."
  11401. 10M.: Yes, sir. I was going by tram; he saw me from the roof, came running towards the street—and, full of longing, bowed to me from right there.
  11402. 11Sri Ramakrishna, with tears in his eyes: Ah! Ah!—that is to say, this man has brought about the link for my paramartha—for attaining paramartha. Unles…
  11403. 12Purna's Manly Being, the Divine Nature—Narayana Born as a Child by the Power of Tapasya
  11404. 13"These three have a manly being—Narendra, the younger Naren and Purna; not Bhavanath—his is a womanish bhava—a feminine bhava.
  11405. 14"Purna's state is such that either the body will soon perish—God is attained, so why any more?—or within a few days it will burst out with force.
  11406. 15"A divine nature—the nature of a god. With it there is little fear of people. If a garland is put round the neck, sandal paste on the body, and the sc…
  11407. 16Old Days—The Samadhi of a Brahmin Woman Who Bore Good Signs—Ranjit's Daughter the Bhagavati
  11408. 17"At Dakshineswar, when this state first came upon me, some days later a brahmin's daughter of a good family came. She bore very good signs. The moment…
  11409. 18"I feel he is a kala. How wonderful! Not just an amsa—a kala!
  11410. 19"How clever!—very good at his studies, they say.—Then I judged rightly!
  11411. 20"By the power of tapasya Narayana is born as a child. On the road to that part of the country is Ranjit Ray's lake. In Ranjit Ray's house the Bhagavat…
  11412. 21"Ranjit Ray was the landowner of those parts. By the power of tapasya he had gained her as his daughter. He loved the girl very dearly. Held by the po…
  11413. 22To M.: "All these things are true."
  11414. 23M.: Yes, sir.
  11415. 24Sri Ramakrishna: Narendra believes all this.
  11416. 25"Purna was born of a portion of Vishnu. In my mind I worshipped with bel leaves; it did not take—I offered tulsi and sandal paste, and then it did!
  11417. 26"He gives vision in many forms. Sometimes in a human form, sometimes in a divine form made of Spirit. One must accept forms. What do you say?"
  11418. 27M.: Yes, sir!
  11419. 28The Feminine Bhava of Gopal's Mother and Her Visions of Form
  11420. 29Sri Ramakrishna: "The brahmin woman of Kamarhati—Gopal's Mother—sees so many things. She lives all alone by the Ganges, in a lonely room in a garden,…
  11421. 30"I too used to see a great deal before. Now in bhava I no longer have so many visions. Now the feminine bhava is growing less. The bhava of a man is c…
  11422. 31"The younger Naren has a manly bhava—so his mind merges. There is no bhava and the like. Nityagopal has a feminine bhava. So he twitches and jerks—in…
  11423. 32Chapter Two
  11424. 33The Renunciation of Woman and Gold; Purna and Others
  11425. 34Binode, Dwija, Tarak, Mohit, Tejchandra, Narayan, Balaram, Atul
  11426. 35Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Well, people give things up grain by grain; what a state these are in.
  11427. 36"Binode said, 'I must sleep with my wife; it makes my mind very wretched.'
  11428. 37"Look, whether there is intercourse or not, even to sleep together is bad. The rubbing of body against body, the heat of the body!
  11429. 38"What a state Dwija is in! He only sways his body and keeps gazing at me! Is that a small thing? If the whole mind has been gathered up and has come t…
  11430. 39Is the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, an Incarnation?
  11431. 40"What am I, after all?—It is He. I am the machine, He is the operator. Within this—me—is the presence of God! That is why the attraction of so many pe…
  11432. 41"Tarak—of Belgharia—is going back home from there—from Dakshineswar! I saw something go out from within this, blazing like a flame—following after him…
  11433. 42"A few days later Tarak came again—to Dakshineswar. Then, in samadhi, He placed His foot on his chest—He who is within this.
  11434. 43"Well, are there any other lads like these lads!"
  11435. 44M.: Mohit is a fine one. He has gone to you once or twice. He is reading for two examinations, and he has great love for God.
  11436. 45Sri Ramakrishna: That may be, but he is not of so high a stock. The signs of his body are not so good. His face is flat.
  11437. 46"These are of a high stock. But the moment one takes on a body there is great trouble. And if there is a curse, one must come for seven births. One mu…
  11438. 47A devotee: Those who have come as Incarnations, taking on a body—what desire have they—?
  11439. 48Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: I have seen that all my desires have not gone. I saw a sadhu's shawl and the desire came to wear one like it. It is there ev…
  11440. 49Balaram, smiling: "Is your birth to be for a shawl?" Everyone laughed.
  11441. 50Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: One must keep one good desire, so that the body is given up while thinking of it. Sadhus leave one of the four holy abodes u…
  11442. 51A man in ochre comes into the room and makes his greeting. Secretly he speaks ill of the Master; so Balaram is laughing. The Master is the Indweller;…
  11443. 52The Proposal That Tejchandra Renounce the World
  11444. 53The Master is talking with Tejchandra.
  11445. 54Sri Ramakrishna, to Tejchandra: So often I send for you—why don't you come? Well, do meditation and the like; then I shall be happy indeed. I know you…
  11446. 55Tejchandra: Sir, I must go to the office—there is a press of work.
  11447. 56M., smiling: There was a wedding at his house; he had taken ten days' leave from the office.
  11448. 57Sri Ramakrishna: So!—No leisure, no leisure! Just now you said you would renounce the world.
  11449. 58Narayan: M. had said one day—'Wilderness of this World'—the world is a forest.
  11450. 59Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Tell them that story, will you; it will do them good. A disciple took a medicine and lay unconscious. The guru came and said t…
  11451. 60"And tell that one too—the twisting and jerking one. That hatha yogi who had thought that his family and the rest were his very own.
  11452. 61At midday the Master took the prasad of Sri Sri Jagannath. Balaram has the service of Jagannath. So the Master says, 'Balaram's food is pure.' After t…
  11453. 62It is afternoon. The Master is sitting with the devotees in the same room. Chandra Babu of the Kartabhajas and the witty brahmin are there too. The br…
  11454. 63The Master spoke at length about the Kartabhajas—rupa, svarupa, rajah bija, pakapranali and the like.
  11455. 64The Master's State of Bhava—Sri Atul and Tejchandra's Brother
  11456. 65Six o'clock strikes. Atul, Girish's brother, and Tejchandra's brother have come. The Master has gone into bhava samadhi. After a while, in bhava, he i…
  11457. 66Was someone among the visitors thinking that the Master's head had been turned by too much thinking of God?
  11458. 67"Push Forward"—Krishnadhan's Trifling Jests
  11459. 68The Master is saying to Krishnadhan, the witty brahmin—"Over what trifling worldly things you pass your time day and night in joking and fooling. Turn…
  11460. 69Krishnadhan, smiling: You draw me in!
  11461. 70Sri Ramakrishna: What shall I do—all depends on your effort. 'It is not the mantra—now, it is your mind!'
  11462. 71"Leave those trifling jests and push forward on the path to God—there is more beyond that, more beyond that! The brahmachari had told the woodcutter t…
  11463. 72Krishnadhan: There is no end to this path!
  11464. 73Sri Ramakrishna: Where there is peace, there 'abide'.
  11465. 74The Master is saying of a visitor—
  11466. 75"I could not see any substance in him. Like an olambakul."
  11467. 76Dusk has fallen. The lamps have been lit in the room. The Master is thinking on the World-Mother and chanting the Name in a sweet voice. The devotees…
  11468. 77Tomorrow is the Car Festival. The Master will spend the night in this house today.
  11469. 78After a little refreshment in the inner apartments he came back to the big room. It must be about ten at night. The Master said to Mani, 'From that ro…
  11470. 79The Master's bed has been made ready in that same small room. It was half past ten at night. The Master lay down.
  11471. 80It is summer. The Master said to Mani, "Better bring the fan." He asked him to fan him. At twelve at night the Master's sleep broke a little. He said,…
  11472. 1Chapter Three
  11473. 2With the Devotees at Balaram's House on the Day of the Holy Car Festival
  11474. 3Today is the holy Car Festival. Tuesday. Very early in the morning the Master has risen and is dancing alone, and chanting the Name in a sweet voice.
  11475. 4M. came and bowed down. One by one the devotees came, bowed down and sat near the Master. The Master is very eager for Purna. On seeing M., it is of h…
  11476. 5Sri Ramakrishna: When you saw Purna, would you give him some teaching?
  11477. 6M.: Yes, sir, I had told him to read the life of Chaitanya—and he can tell all those things very well. And you had said to hold fast to the truth; tha…
  11478. 7Sri Ramakrishna: Well, if you asked him about such things as 'This one is an Incarnation', what would he say.
  11479. 8M.: I had said, you will see someone like Chaitanyadeva, so come along.
  11480. 9Sri Ramakrishna: Anything more?
  11481. 10M.: That saying of yours. When an elephant steps down into a pond, the water is churned up—when the vessel is small, the bhava spills over.
  11482. 11"About his giving up fish, I had said, Why did you do such a thing! There will be an uproar."
  11483. 12Sri Ramakrishna: That is good. It is best that one's own bhava stays deep within.
  11484. 13The Earthquake and Sri Ramakrishna—To the Jnani the Body and the Body's Destruction Are the Same
  11485. 14It is about half past six. M. is going from Balaram's house to bathe in the Ganges. On the way, all of a sudden, an earthquake. He came straight back…
  11486. 15M.: We should all have gone downstairs.
  11487. 16Earlier Days—Sri Ramakrishna in the Storm of Aswin—5 October 1864
  11488. 17Sri Ramakrishna: "The very house one lives in—this is what becomes of it! And over this, people have their pride." To M.: "Do you remember the storm o…
  11489. 18M.: Yes, sir. I was very young then—nine or ten years old—I was in a room by myself, calling on the gods!
  11490. 19M. is amazed and thinks: Why did the Master suddenly ask about the day of the storm of Aswin? That I had wept with longing and sat alone in a room and…
  11491. 20Sri Ramakrishna: At Dakshineswar, very late in the day—then a few things got cooked. The trees had all toppled over! See, the house one lives in—this…
  11492. 21"But when perfect knowledge comes, dying and killing are felt to be one. Though one dies, nothing dies—though one kills, nothing dies. * Whose the Lil…
  11493. 22* "It is not slain when the body is slain. It neither slays, nor is it slain." The Gita!
  11494. 23The Master has sat down again with the devotees in the parlour. Mahendra Mukherji, Hari Babu, the younger Naren and many other young devotees are sitt…
  11495. 24Sri Ramakrishna, to Hari Babu: Well now, you haven't come for many days.
  11496. 25Teaching to Hari Babu—Advaitavada and Visishtadvaitavada—Vijnana
  11497. 26"He is the Nitya in one form and the Lila in another. What does the Vedanta say?—Brahman is real and the world unreal. But so long as He has kept the…
  11498. 27"He has become the living beings and the world; He has become the twenty-four principles. When He is inactive, I call Him Brahman. When He is creating…
  11499. 28"The sense of 'I' does not go. So long as the sense of 'I' remains, there is no saying that the living beings and the world are unreal! Throw away the…
  11500. 29"The brick, lime and brick-dust that make the roof—from those same bricks, lime and brick-dust the stairs are made. He who is Brahman—it is in His bei…
  11501. 30"The devotees—the vijnanis—take both, the formless and that with form—they accept both, the formless and the form. By the cold of bhakti some of that…
  11502. 31The Mind Destroyed When Reasoning Ends, and the Knowledge of Brahman
  11503. 32"So long as one reasons with the mind, one cannot reach the Nitya. Set out to reason with the mind, and there is no getting free of the world—form, ta…
  11504. 33"Look, just to see one thing, how many are needed—the eye is needed, light is needed, and then the mind is needed. Leave out one of these three and th…
  11505. 34"When the mind is destroyed, when sankalpa and vikalpa have gone, samadhi comes—the knowledge of Brahman comes. But sa re ga ma pa dha ni—on ni one ca…
  11506. 35Teaching to the Younger Naren—Talking with God After Seeing Him
  11507. 36Looking towards the younger Naren, the Master says, "What will come of merely feeling in your feeling that God is? It is not that the moment God is se…
  11508. 37"He has to be brought into the house—one has to talk with Him.
  11509. 38"Someone has heard of milk, someone has seen milk, someone has drunk milk.
  11510. 39"Some have seen the king. But one or two can bring him into their house, and give him food and drink."
  11511. 40M. went to bathe in the Ganges.
  11512. 41Chapter Four
  11513. 42Earlier Days—The Vision of Siva and of the Golden Annapurna in Holy Kasi
  11514. 43Today's Vision of the Universe as a Salagram
  11515. 44It has struck ten. The Master is talking with the devotees. M., having bathed in the Ganges, came and bowed down to the Master and sat near him.
  11516. 45The Master, full of bhava, is saying so many things. Now and then he tells, a little at a time, of his most secret visions.
  11517. 46Sri Ramakrishna: When I went to Kasi with Sejo Babu, our boat was going past the Manikarnika ghat. Suddenly, the vision of Siva. I came and stood at t…
  11518. 47"In bhava I saw a sannyasi taking me along by the hand. I went into a temple—and there was the vision of the golden Annapurna!
  11519. 48"He alone has become all this—in certain things the manifestation is greater.
  11520. 49To M. and the others: "You don't accept the salagram, I suppose—the Englishmen don't accept it. Well, whether you accept it or not. A salagram with th…
  11521. 50M.: Yes, sir; just as God is more manifest in a man who bears good marks.
  11522. 51Sri Ramakrishna: Narendra used to call it an error of the mind; now he accepts everything.
  11523. 52As he speaks of the vision of God, the Master has passed into a state of bhava. Bhava-samadhi. The devotees watch him in silence, with an unmoving gaz…
  11524. 53Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What I was seeing. The universe, a single salagram!—and in it I was seeing your two eyes.
  11525. 54M. and the devotees listen in wonder to this marvellous telling of a vision never heard of before. Just then another young devotee, Sarada, came in, b…
  11526. 55Sri Ramakrishna, to Sarada: Why don't you go to Dakshineswar? When I come to Calcutta, why don't you come?
  11527. 56Sarada: I don't get word of it.
  11528. 57Sri Ramakrishna: "This time I shall send you word." To M., smiling: "Make a list, won't you—of the boys." M. and the devotees laughed.
  11529. 58News of Purna—The Master's Joy at Seeing Narendra
  11530. 59Sarada: At home they want to marry me off. He (M.) has scolded us so many times about marriage.
  11531. 60Sri Ramakrishna: "Why marriage now?" To M.: "Sarada has come into a fine state. Before, there was a shrinking in him. It was as if the float on a fish…
  11532. 61The Master says to a devotee, "Will you go once for Purna?"
  11533. 62Now Narendra has come. The Master asked for Narendra to be given refreshments. He is overjoyed at seeing Narendra. Feeding Narendra, it is as if he is…
  11534. 63Sri Ramakrishna: What is this. Here you call me Gopal—and then you bow down to me!
  11535. 64"Go inside the house and cook a curry—season it well—so that the smell comes all the way here." Everyone laughed.
  11536. 65Gopal's Mother: What will they (the people of the house) think.
  11537. 66Gopal's Mother is thinking that she has newly come here—what if the people of the house should mind her saying she will cook separately!
  11538. 67Before going into the inner part of the house, she turns to Narendra and says in a pleading voice, "My son! Has it come about for me, or is something…
  11539. 68Today is the Car Festival—the food offerings and worship of Sri Sri Jagannath have been a little late. Now the Master is to be served his meal. He is…
  11540. 69The Master had many women devotees. But he would not speak much of them to the men devotees! If anyone went often to see the women devotees, he would…
  11541. 70Chapter Five
  11542. 71Balaram's Car Festival—With Narendra and Other Devotees—In the Joy of Sankirtan
  11543. 72It is one o'clock. After his meal the Master has come into the parlour again and is sitting with the devotees. A devotee has called Purna and brought…
  11544. 73Free Will and the Younger Naren—Narendra's Song
  11545. 74The younger Naren: Well, have we free will or not?
  11546. 75Sri Ramakrishna: Search and see who I am. Search and search for the I, and He comes forth! 'I am the machine You are the operator'. The Chinese doll g…
  11547. 76"So long as there are upadhis, so long there is ignorance; I am a pandit, I am a jnani, I am rich, I am honoured, I am the master and father, the guru…
  11548. 77To Narendra: "Do sing a little."
  11549. 78Narendra: I'm going home—I have a lot of work.
  11550. 79Sri Ramakrishna: Well, my child, why should you listen to what we say? 'He who has gold in his ears, his word is worth annas and annas. He who has a r…
  11551. 80"You can go to the Guhas' garden. Often I hear, where is he today?—why, at the Guhas' garden.—I wouldn't have said this; you did kenreli—"
  11552. 81Narendra is silent for a while. He says, "There's no instrument, just the song—"
  11553. 82Sri Ramakrishna: Such is our state, my child.—Sing with this, if you can. And on top of that, Balaram's arrangements!
  11554. 83"Balaram says, 'You will come by boat, sir, and if it can't be helped, by carriage,'—" Everyone laughed. "He has given us a feast. So this afternoon h…
  11555. 84The devotees are arriving one by one, having eaten at home.
  11556. 85Seeing Mahendra Mukherji bow down to him from a distance, the Master bows down to him—and then salaams him as well. He says to a young devotee close b…
  11557. 86Now Narendra is singing—
  11558. 87(1) How many days before that love is kindled. My longing fulfilled, I shall chant the name of Hari, and from my eyes will flow a stream of tears of l…
  11559. 88(2) In the deep darkness, Mother, Your formless splendour flashes. So the yogi holds to meditation and becomes a dweller in mountain caves.
  11560. 89Balaram has arranged for kirtan today—the kirtan of Vaishnavcharan and Benwari. Now Vaishnavcharan is singing—Ever chant the name of Sri Durga, O my t…
  11561. 90Hearing the song for a little while, the Master is in samadhi! Standing, in samadhi!—the younger Naren is holding him. His face is smiling. By degrees…
  11562. 91Chanting the Name, after a long while, he came out of samadhi. When the Master had taken his seat, Vaishnavcharan struck up a song again—
  11563. 92(1) Say Hari, Hari, O vina!
  11564. 93(2) The days go by in vain, O vina, without the sadhana of Sri Hari.
  11565. 94Now another kirtan singer, Benwari, is singing a rupa. But all the while, as he sings, he cries 'Aha! Aha!' and falls prostrate in salutation. At this…
  11566. 95It is afternoon. Meanwhile that small car of Sri Sri Jagannathdeva has been brought out onto the verandah, decked with flags and pennants. Sri Sri Jag…
  11567. 96(1) They whose eyes stream as they say Hari—those two brothers, they have come! They who take blows and still offer love—those two brothers, they have…
  11568. 97On the little verandah kirtan and dancing go on beside the car. Hearing the loud sankirtan and the sound of the drum, many people from outside have co…
  11569. 98Chapter Six
  11570. 99Narendra's Song—The Master Dances in Ecstasy
  11571. 100After the kirtan and dancing before the car, the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, has come into the room and sat down. Mani and other devotees are serving his…
  11572. 101Narendra, full of bhava, has taken up the tanpura and is singing again—
  11573. 102(1) Come, Mother, come, Mother, O joy of my heart, little doll of my life, be seated, Mother, on the seat of my heart, and let me gaze on You.
  11574. 103(2) Mother, You indeed are Tara, You hold the three gunas, You are higher than the highest. I know, O Mother kind to the lowly, in hard straits You ta…
  11575. 104(3) You alone have I made the pole star of my life. On this sea I shall never again lose my way.
  11576. 105A devotee says to Narendra, Will you sing that song?—
  11577. 106Within, You are awake, O Mother, Indweller!
  11578. 107Sri Ramakrishna: Nonsense! What, those songs now! Now a song of joy—'Syama, river of nectar.'
  11579. 108Narendra is singing—
  11580. 109In what playful mood are You at any hour, Mother, Syama, river of nectar! With play and gesture and sidelong glance You put Ananga to rout, O Mother!
  11581. 110Drunk with bhava, Narendra began to sing again and again—
  11582. 111'Sometimes You dwell in lotus after lotus, Mother, the Full Brahman Eternal.'
  11583. 112The Master, mad with love, is dancing—and singing, O Mother, Full Brahman Eternal! After dancing for a long time the Master took his seat. Seeing Nare…
  11584. 113It must be about nine at night; the Master is still sitting with the devotees.
  11585. 114Again he is listening to Vaishnavcharan's singing.
  11586. 115(1) Sri Gauranga, the beautiful, the young prince of dancers, his body like molten gold.
  11587. 116(2) How shall I know You, Hari. O Banku Ray, You stay in Mathura, forgetting. Going about on elephants, wearing fine cloth, have You forgotten tending…
  11588. 117It is ten or eleven at night. The devotees are bowing down and taking their leave.
  11589. 118Sri Ramakrishna: "Well, the rest of you, everybody go home—" Indicating Narendra and the younger Naren: "it will do if these two stay." To Girish: "Ar…
  11590. 119A friend in spectacles has come with Sri Girish. He watched and listened to everything and went away. The Master says to Girish, "I tell you and Hare…
  11591. 120A devotee bowed down. A boy is with him. The Master says tenderly, "Come again, then—and that one with you." Narendra, the younger Naren and one or tw…
  11592. 1Chapter Seven
  11593. 2The Fair Dawn and Sri Ramakrishna—Sweet Dancing and the Kirtan of the Name
  11594. 3Sri Ramakrishna is lying on his bed in the small room on the west side of the parlour. It is four o'clock at night. To the south of the room is a vera…
  11595. 4A short while after, the Master came onto the verandah. M. bowed down to the ground before him. It was the Sankranti, Wednesday, the thirty-second of…
  11596. 5Sri Ramakrishna: I got up once more. Well, shall I go in the morning?
  11597. 6M.: Yes, sir; in the morning the waves are a little lower.
  11598. 7Dawn has come—the devotees have not yet arrived and gathered. The Master has washed his mouth and is chanting the Name in a sweet voice. He stands by…
  11599. 8Having chanted the name of Rama, the Master is chanting the name of Krishna. Krishna! Krishna! Gopi-Krishna! Gopi! Gopi! Krishna, life of the cowherd…
  11600. 9Again he is chanting the name of Gauranga.
  11601. 10Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu Nityananda. Hare Krishna Hare Rama, Radhe Govinda!
  11602. 11Again he says, Alekh Niranjan! Calling Niranjan, he is weeping. Seeing his tears and hearing the anguish in his voice, the devotees standing near are…
  11603. 12He is crying out in distress to Jagannath—Jagannath! Friend of the world! Friend of the lowly! Lord, I am not outside the world; have mercy on me!
  11604. 13Mad with love, he sings—"Worship Jagannath of Orissa, Biraj-ji!
  11605. 14Now, chanting the name of Narayana, he dances and sings—Sriman Narayana. Sriman Narayana. Narayana! Narayana!
  11606. 15Dancing on, he sings a song again—
  11607. 16He for whom I went mad—where have I found him, friend? Brahma is mad, Vishnu is mad, and mad is Siva; the three mad ones took counsel and broke Navadv…
  11608. 17Now the Master has sat down with the devotees in the small room. Naked! Like a boy of five! M., Balaram and one or two other devotees are sitting ther…
  11609. 18When Is Form Seen? A Secret Thing—Seeing Narayana in the Boys, Pure Souls
  11610. 19Ramlala, Niranjan, Purna, Narendra, Tarak of Belgharia, the Younger Naren
  11611. 20Sri Ramakrishna: The divine form can be seen! When the upadhis all fall away—when reasoning comes to a stop—then there is vision! Then a man is struck…
  11612. 21"I am telling you a deeply secret thing. Why I love Purna, Narendra and all of these so much. When I went to embrace Jagannath in the sweet bhava, my…
  11613. 22"Whatever bhavas used to come over me for Ramlala, the same come now when I see Purna and the others! I used to bathe Ramlala, feed him, lay him down…
  11614. 23"Purna is of a high order, the order of the One with form—born of a portion of Vishnu. Ah, what love.
  11615. 24To M.: "Didn't you see—how he began to look at you—as at a brother disciple—as though this one were his very own! He has said he will meet once more.…
  11616. 25Narendra's Many Virtues—The Virtues of the Younger Naren
  11617. 26"Narendra is of a very high order—the order of the Formless. A man's being.
  11618. 27"So many devotees are coming; there is not one to equal him.
  11619. 28"At times I sit and reckon it up. And I find: of the other lotuses one has ten petals, one sixteen, one a hundred, but among the lotuses Narendra is t…
  11620. 29"The others may be pitchers, jugs and such—Narendra is a great water-jar.
  11621. 30"Among the ditches and ponds Narendra is a great dighi! Like the Haldar pond.
  11622. 31"Among fish Narendra is a big red-eyed rui, and all the rest are fish of various kinds—pona, kathi bata and so on.
  11623. 32"A great vessel—it holds a great deal. A bamboo with a big hollow.
  11624. 33"Narendra is under the sway of nothing. He is not under the sway of attachment or the pleasures of the senses. A male pigeon. Take hold of a male pige…
  11625. 34"Tarak of Belgharia may be called a mrigel.
  11626. 35"Narendra is a man, so in the carriage he sits on the right side. Bhavanath has a woman's bhava, so I give him the other side to sit on!
  11627. 36"When Narendra is in the gathering, I have strength."
  11628. 37Sri Mahendra Mukherji came and bowed down. It must have been eight o'clock. Haripada and Tulsiram came one after the other, bowed and sat down. Babura…
  11629. 38Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: "The younger Naren has not come? He thinks I have gone." To Mukherji: "What a wonder! As a boy, he—the younger Naren—would com…
  11630. 39"And his intelligence is great. Among bamboos, a bamboo with a hollow!
  11631. 40"And all his mind is on me. Girish Ghosh said that on the day of the kirtan at Navagopal's house, he—the younger Naren—went there—but crying 'Where is…
  11632. 41"Nor is he afraid—that they will scold him at home. At Dakshineswar he stays three nights together."
  11633. 42Chapter Eight
  11634. 43The Hidden Mystery of Bhakti Yoga—The Harmony of Jnana and Bhakti
  11635. 44Mukherji, Hari Babu, Purna, Niranjan, M., Balaram
  11636. 45Mukherji: Hari—Hari Babu of Baghbazar—is amazed at hearing what you said yesterday! He says, 'In the Samkhya philosophy, in Patanjali, in the Vedanta—…
  11637. 46Sri Ramakrishna: Why, I have not read the Samkhya or the Vedanta.
  11638. 47"Full jnana and full bhakti are one and the same. When reasoning by 'Neti, neti' has come to its end, there is the knowledge of Brahman.—After that, w…
  11639. 48"He who has the sense of the high has the sense of the low as well. After jnana, above and below are felt as one.
  11640. 49"When Prahlada had the knowledge of Reality, he would remain as 'Soham'. When the consciousness of the body came, the bhava 'Dasoham', 'I am Thy serva…
  11641. 50"To Hanuman too there would come, at times 'Soham,' at times 'A servant am I,' at times 'I am a part of Thee,'—this bhava.
  11642. 51"Why hold to bhakti?—Without it, what is a man to hold to! What is he to pass his days with.
  11643. 52"The 'I' is not going to go; while the pot of 'I' remains, there is no Soham. When one is in samadhi the 'I' is wiped away—then what is, is. Ramprasad…
  11644. 53"As long as the 'I' is there, it is best to live as a devotee! 'I am God'—that is not good. O jiva, be as the devotee and not as Krishna!—But if He Hi…
  11645. 54"The waves belong to the Ganges; the Ganges never belongs to the waves!
  11646. 55"Siva has two states. When He is atmarama, the state of Soham—in yoga all is still. When the 'I' remains as a sense apart, He dances crying 'Rama! Ram…
  11647. 56"He who has the unshakable has the shaking too.
  11648. 57"Here you are, still. And a little later it is you yourself who will be at work.
  11649. 58"Jnana and bhakti are one thing.—Only, one man says 'water,' and another 'a lump of water'.
  11650. 59Two Kinds of Samadhi—What Stands in the Way of Samadhi—Woman and Gold
  11651. 60"Samadhi, broadly, is of two kinds.—On the path of jnana, the samadhi that comes when the ego has been destroyed by reasoning and reasoning is called…
  11652. 61"I said to Kedar, If the mind is on woman and gold, it will not do. I felt a wish to pass my hand once over his chest—but I could not. Inside, all is…
  11653. 62"Woman and gold have not yet entered into the boys; that is why I love them so. Hazra says, 'You love them when you see a rich man's son, when you see…
  11654. 63"Worldly-mindedness has not yet entered into the boys. That is why their hearts are so pure.
  11655. 64"And many of them are ever-perfect. From birth itself the pull is toward God. It is as when someone has bought a garden. While clearing it, in one pla…
  11656. 65Purna and Niranjan—Serving One's Mother—The Meaning of the Vaishnavas' Festival
  11657. 66Balaram: Sir, the knowledge that the world is false, all at once—how did that come to Purna?
  11658. 67Sri Ramakrishna: It comes from other births. Everything has been done in births before. It is the body alone that becomes small and again grows old—th…
  11659. 68"Do you know how it is with them?—The fruit first, then the flower. First the vision—then the hearing of His qualities and glory, then union!
  11660. 69"Look at Niranjan—he has no give and take.—When the call comes he will be able to go. But as long as the mother is there, the mother must be looked af…
  11661. 70"As long as one is mindful of one's own body, so long one must look after one's mother. So I tell Hazra, if you have a cough yourself you have to make…
  11662. 71"But when I cannot look after my own body—then it is another matter. Then God Himself takes on the whole burden.
  11663. 72"A minor cannot take charge of himself. So he has a guardian. The state of a minor—like the state of Chaitanyadeva."
  11664. 73M.'s note, in his English: "Guardian."
  11665. 74M. went to bathe in the Ganges.
  11666. 75Chapter Nine
  11667. 76Sri Ramakrishna's Horoscope—Old Days—The Master's Visions of God
  11668. 77Visions of Rama and Lakshmana and of Partha's Charioteer—The Naked Paramahamsa Form
  11669. 78Sri Ramakrishna is talking with the devotees in that same small room. Mahendra Mukherji, Balaram, Tulsi, Haripada, Girish and other devotees are sitti…
  11670. 79"One day in the Kali temple Nangta and Haladhari were reading the Adhyatma—the Ramayana. Suddenly I saw a river, and a wood beside it, the trees and p…
  11671. 80"Another day, in my native place, a kirtan was going on—before me, the form of Gauranga.
  11672. 81"A naked one used to stay with me wherever I went—I would put my hand on his organ and play pranks. Then I would laugh a great deal. This naked form u…
  11673. 82"How many divine forms I have seen cannot be told. At that time, a bad complaint of the stomach. In all those states the stomach trouble would grow mu…
  11674. 83Girish, smiling: I am reading your horoscope.
  11675. 84Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Born under the moon of the second lunar day. And the Sun, the Moon, Mercury—apart from these there is hardly anything else.
  11676. 85Girish: Kumbha rashi. In Karkata and Vrisha, Rama and Krishna—in Simha, Chaitanyadeva.
  11677. 86Sri Ramakrishna: There were two wishes. First—I would be the king of the devotees; second, I would not be a dried-up sadhu.
  11678. 87Sri Ramakrishna's Horoscope—Why the Master Practised Sadhana—The Vision of the Brahmayoni
  11679. 88Girish, smiling: Why did you practise sadhana?
  11680. 89Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: The Bhagavati practised many hard austerities for Siva—the five fires, staying with her body sunk in water in the winter, ga…
  11681. 90"Krishna Himself practised much sadhana with the Radha-yantra. The yantra is the Brahmayoni—the worship and the meditation are of That alone! From thi…
  11682. 91"A very secret thing! Under the bel tree I used to have visions—they would flicker, lak lak!
  11683. 92Old Days—Tantric Sadhana under the Bel Tree—The Brahmani Gathers What Was Needed
  11684. 93"Under the bel tree many Tantric sadhanas were done. With dead men's skulls. And again......asana. The Brahmani used to get everything together.
  11685. 94Moving towards Haripada: "In that state, unless I worshipped the organ of boys with flowers and sandal-paste, I could not be at rest.
  11686. 95"There was another state that used to come. On a day I was proud, the very next day I would fall ill.
  11687. 96M. hears these words of Vedanta, never heard before, flowing from those blessed lips, and sits amazed, like a figure in a painting. The devotees too s…
  11688. 97Everyone is silent.
  11689. 98Tulsi: He doesn't laugh.
  11690. 99Sri Ramakrishna: There is laughter inside. Sand on top of the Phalgu river—dig, and you find water.
  11691. 100To M.: "You don't scrape your tongue! Scrape your tongue every day.
  11692. 101Balaram: Well, from him—from M.—Purna has heard a great deal about you—
  11693. 102Sri Ramakrishna: The things of earlier days—he knows them—I do not know.
  11694. 103Balaram: Purna is perfect by nature. Then these?
  11695. 104Sri Ramakrishna: These are only the means.
  11696. 105It has struck nine—preparations are being made for Sri Ramakrishna to set out for Dakshineswar. A boat has been engaged at Annapurna's Ghat in Baghbaz…
  11697. 106The Master went and sat in the boat with one or two devotees; Gopal's Mother got into the same boat—she will rest a while at Dakshineswar and walk to…
  11698. 107The camp cot from the Master's room at Dakshineswar had been given out for mending. That too was put into the boat. Sri Rakhal mostly used to sleep on…
  11699. 108Today, though, the star is Magha. To change the start of the journey, Sri Ramakrishna will grace Balaram's house again on the coming Saturday.
  11700. 1Section Eighteen
  11701. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in Their Homes in Calcutta
  11702. 3Chapter One
  11703. 4Sri Ramakrishna at Balaram's House
  11704. 5Sri Ramakrishna is seated with the devotees in Balaram's sitting room. His face is smiling. It is now about three o'clock in the afternoon; Binode, Ra…
  11705. 6Today is Tuesday, the twenty-eighth of July, 1885, the first day of the dark fortnight of Ashadh. The Master came to Balaram's house in the morning an…
  11706. 7Narayan and other devotees had told him that there are many pictures of God in Nanda Bose's house. So today the Master will go to their house in the a…
  11707. 8As soon as he comes to Balaram's house the Master sends for the young devotees. The younger Naren had said at one time, "Because I have work I cannot…
  11708. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to the younger Naren: I did not send for you.
  11709. 10The younger Naren, laughing: Well, what does that matter?
  11710. 11Sri Ramakrishna: Well, my dear, it will do you harm; come when you have time!
  11711. 12The Master spoke these words as though his feelings were hurt.
  11712. 13The palanquin has come. The Master will go to Sri Nanda Bose's house.
  11713. 14Repeating the name of God, the Master is getting into the palanquin. On his feet are black varnished slippers; he wears a dhoti with a narrow red bord…
  11714. 15The palanquin went in through the gate of Nanda Bose's house. Then, crossing the wide ground in front of the house, it came up to the house itself.
  11715. 16Relatives of the master of the house came and bowed before the Master. The Master asked M. to give him the slippers. Getting down from the palanquin,…
  11716. 17The master of the house and his brother Pasupati greeted the Master. Presently the devotees, coming on behind the palanquin, gathered in this hall. Gi…
  11717. 18Chapter Two
  11718. 19The Auspicious Visit to Sri Nanda Bose's House
  11719. 20The Master Sri Ramakrishna now rose to see the pictures. With him are M. and several other devotees. The brother of the master of the house, Sri Pasup…
  11720. 21First of all the Master looks upon the four-armed form of Vishnu. The moment he saw it he was overwhelmed with bhava. He had been standing; he sat dow…
  11721. 22Sri Rama, his hand on Hanuman's head, is blessing him. Hanuman's gaze is on Sri Rama's lotus feet. The Master Sri Ramakrishna looks at this picture fo…
  11722. 23The third picture: Sri Krishna, the flute at his lips, standing beneath the kadamba tree.
  11723. 24The fourth: the Vamana Incarnation. With an umbrella over his head he is going to Bali's sacrifice. Sri Ramakrishna says, "Vamana!" and gazes at it wi…
  11724. 25Now, having looked at the form of Nrisimha, the Master is looking at a picture of the cow pasture. Sri Krishna is grazing the calves with the cowherd…
  11725. 26Mani exclaimed—A wonderful picture.
  11726. 27Seeing the seventh picture the Master says—"Dhumavati" The eighth—Shodasi; the ninth—Bhuvaneswari; the tenth—Tara; the eleventh—Kali. Seeing all these…
  11727. 28Seeing Sri Sri Annapurna, the Master says in bhava, "Splendid! Splendid!"
  11728. 29Then Rai as King! In the nikunja grove, surrounded by her companions, she is seated on a throne. Sri Krishna sits at the door of the bower dressed as…
  11729. 30The viewing of the pictures was over. The Master came back again to the master of the house. Still standing, he says to the master of the house—"I hav…
  11730. 31Sri Nanda Bose is seated. He calls to the Master and says, "Please sit down! Why do you stay standing?"
  11731. 32Sri Ramakrishna, sitting down: These pictures are very big. You are quite a Hindu.
  11732. 33Nanda Bose: There are English pictures too.
  11733. 34Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Those are not like these. You haven't much of an eye for English things.
  11734. 35On the wall of the room hung a picture of Sri Keshab Sen's New Dispensation. Sri Suresh Mitra had had that picture made! He is one of the Master's bel…
  11735. 36Sri Ramakrishna: Why, that is Surendra's picture!
  11736. 37Prasanna's father, smiling: You too are in it.
  11737. 38Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That is one way of it; everything is in it.—The bhava of these days!
  11738. 39As he is saying this, the Master suddenly becomes overwhelmed with bhava. The Master is talking with the Mother of the Universe.
  11739. 40After a little while he says like a drunken man—"I have not lost consciousness." Looking toward the house he says, "A big house! What is there in it?…
  11740. 41A little after, he says, "I have had great joy seeing all these images of God.' Again he says, "Fierce forms—Kali, Tara, who dwells in the cremation g…
  11741. 42Pasupati, smiling: Well, as long as He keeps things going, they will go on.
  11742. 43Sri Ramakrishna: That is so, but it is good to keep the mind on God; it is not good to live forgetting Him.
  11743. 44Nanda Bose: But does the mind ever turn to Him?
  11744. 45Sri Ramakrishna: It does, when His grace comes.
  11745. 46Nanda Bose: But does His grace ever come? Has He the power to show grace?
  11746. 47God the Doer—or Karma Itself God
  11747. 48Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: I see, yours is the view of the pandits, "As a man acts, so shall he reap"; give all that up! When one takes refuge in God,…
  11748. 49Nanda Bose: Can He set aside law?
  11749. 50Sri Ramakrishna: What! He is God, He is able to do all things; He who has made the law is able to change the law.
  11750. 51Awakening When Enjoyment Is Spent—or by His Grace
  11751. 52"Still, you may well say that. You have, it seems, a wish to enjoy, so you talk like that. That is one view, true: unless enjoyment has been appeased,…
  11752. 53Is God Partial?—Why Ignorance?—His Pleasure
  11753. 54Nanda Bose stays silent a little, then he says—People do say all that, true! Is God partial? If it comes by His grace, then one has to say God is part…
  11754. 55Sri Ramakrishna: He Himself is everything; God Himself has become the jiva, the world, everything. When full knowledge comes, that is what one sees. H…
  11755. 56Nanda Bose: Why has He become so many forms? Knowledge in one place, ignorance in another?
  11756. 57Sri Ramakrishna: It is His pleasure.
  11757. 58Atul: "Kedar Babu—Chatterji—put it well. Someone had asked him, why did God create? To that he said, I was not at the meeting where He made His plan f…
  11758. 59Sri Ramakrishna: It is His pleasure.
  11759. 60Saying this, the Master sings—
  11760. 61All is Thine own will; Thou art Tara, She whose will is all. Thou doest Thy work, Mother; men say, I do it. Thou sinkest the elephant in the mire, Tho…
  11761. 62"She is the Blissful One! She is playing this play of creation, preservation and dissolution. Countless are the jivas, and among them one or two are g…
  11762. 63"On the sea of the world, O mind, how many boats are rising, sinking!"
  11763. 64Nanda Bose: His pleasure! But it is we who die!
  11764. 65Sri Ramakrishna: Where are you? He alone has become everything. As long as you do not come to know Him, you keep saying "I", "I"!
  11765. 66"All will be able to know Him—all will be saved, only some get to eat early in the morning, some at midday, some again in the evening; but no one will…
  11766. 67Pasupati: Yes, sir; it seems He alone has become everything.
  11767. 68Sri Ramakrishna: "Search, now, and see what this 'I' is. Am I the bones, or the flesh, or the blood, or the entrails? Searching and searching for 'I',…
  11768. 69Hearing egotism explained in this way, the master of the house and all the others were exceedingly pleased.
  11769. 70The Pride and Intoxication of Wealth
  11770. 71Sri Ramakrishna: Knowledge has two marks: first, there will be no pride; second, a peaceful nature. You have both marks. So God's favour is upon you.
  11771. 72"With too much wealth, God is forgotten; wealth by its very nature does that. Jadu Mallick has come into great wealth; nowadays he does not talk of Go…
  11772. 73"Woman and gold are a sort of wine. When one drinks a lot of wine one loses all sense of uncles, younger or elder; it is to those very people that one…
  11773. 74Nanda Bose: That is true.
  11774. 75Theosophy—Liberation by a Moment's Union—The Practice of Pure Bhakti
  11775. 76Pasupati: Sir! Are these things true-Spiritualism, Theosophy? The world of the sun, the world of the moon? The world of the stars?
  11776. 77Sri Ramakrishna: I don't know, my dear! Why so much reckoning? Eat the mangoes; how many mango trees, how many lakhs of branches, how many crores of l…
  11777. 78"If awakening comes once, if a man once comes to know God, then he has no wish even to know about all that rubbish. When one is delirious one says all…
  11778. 79Pasupati: Our delirium will last for ever, I suppose?
  11779. 80Sri Ramakrishna: Why? Keep the mind on God, and awakening will come.
  11780. 81Pasupati, smiling: "Our union with God is momentary. As long as it takes to smoke tobacco." Everyone laughed.
  11781. 82Sri Ramakrishna: Let it be so; if there is union with Him for a moment, that itself is liberation.
  11782. 83"Ahalya said, 'Rama! Whether I am born of a sow's womb or wherever else, may my mind dwell on Your lotus feet, may I have pure bhakti.
  11783. 84"Narada said, Rama! I ask no other boon of You; give me pure bhakti, and bless me that I may not be bewitched by Your world-enchanting maya. When one…
  11784. 85Sin and the Next World—Thinking of God at the Hour of Death—King Bharata
  11785. 86"'Will our delirium ever go!'—'What more will become of us'—'We are sinners'—give up all such notions." To Nanda Bose: "And this is what is wanted—I h…
  11786. 87Nanda Bose: Is there a next world? Punishment for sin?
  11787. 88Sri Ramakrishna: Do eat the mangoes! What need have you of all those reckonings? Whether there is a next world or not—what happens there—all such news…
  11788. 89"Eat the mangoes. The 'mango' is what is needed—bhakti for Him—"
  11789. 90Nanda Bose: Where's the mango tree? Where am I to get mangoes?
  11790. 91Sri Ramakrishna: The tree? He is Brahman, beginning-less and endless! He most certainly exists; He is eternal! But there is one thing—He is the 'Kalpa…
  11791. 92"At the foot of Kali the Kalpataru, O mind, you will gather the four fruits!
  11792. 93"One must go to the Kalpataru and pray; then one gets the fruit—then the fruit drops at the foot of the tree—and then one can gather it up. The four f…
  11793. 94"The jnanis want liberation—the fruit of moksha; the bhaktas want bhakti—ahetuki bhakti, love without a motive. They do not want dharma, artha, kama.
  11794. 95"You speak of the next world? The Gita's teaching is—what one thinks of at the hour of death, that one becomes. King Bharata gave up his life in grief…
  11795. 96"Keshab Sen too asked about the next world. To Keshab too I said, 'What need have you of all these reckonings?' Then I said again, 'As long as God is…
  11796. 97Chapter Three
  11797. 98Sri Ramakrishna and the Householder's Welfare—The Mark of Rajas
  11798. 99Until now the master of the house had made no move to offer the Master any sweets. Of his own accord the Master says to the master of the house:
  11799. 100"One should eat something. That is why I said to Jadu's mother the other day—'Do give me something—to eat'! Otherwise, I fear, harm may come to the ho…
  11800. 101The master of the house sent for some sweets. The Master is eating. Nanda Bose and all the others are gazing intently at the Master. They are watching…
  11801. 102The Master is to wash his hands; the sweets had been served on a plate set on the sheet, and the hands could not be washed there. A servant brought a…
  11802. 103A spittoon is a mark of rajas. On seeing it the Master cried out, "Take it away, take it away." The householder says, "Please wash your hands."
  11803. 104The Master's mind is elsewhere. He said, "What?—Wash my hands?"
  11804. 105The Master got up and went toward the verandah on the south. He bade Mani, "Pour water on my hands." Mani poured water from the jug. The Master wiped…
  11805. 106Offering to the Chosen Deity—Jnana-Bhakti and Pure Bhakti
  11806. 107Nanda Bose, to Sri Ramakrishna: May I say something?
  11807. 108Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What?
  11808. 109Nanda Bose: Why didn't you take the betel? Everything else went right; that one thing was wrong!
  11809. 110Sri Ramakrishna: I offer it to the Ishta and then eat' there is that one bhava.
  11810. 111Nanda Bose: But it would have gone to the Ishta all the same.
  11811. 112Sri Ramakrishna: There is the path of knowledge; and there is the path of devotion. In the jnani's view everything can be taken as the knowledge of Br…
  11812. 113Nanda: That was a fault.
  11813. 114Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That is a bhava of mine. What you say is right too—that also has its place.
  11814. 115The Master is warning the master of the house against flatterers.
  11815. 116Sri Ramakrishna: "One more caution! Flatterers go about for their own ends." To Prasanna's father: "Do you live here?"
  11816. 117Prasanna's father: No, sir, I live in this same neighbourhood. Please have a smoke.
  11817. 118Sri Ramakrishna, very humbly: No, let it be; you smoke—I have no wish for it now.
  11818. 119Nanda Bose's house is very large, so the Master says—Jadu's house is not so big; that is what I was telling him the other day.
  11819. 120Nanda: Yes, he has built a new house at Jorasanko.
  11820. 121The Master is encouraging Nanda Bose
  11821. 122Sri Ramakrishna, to Nanda Bose: You live in the world, and your mind is set on God—is this a small matter? The man who has given up the world will nat…
  11822. 123"One must take refuge in one bhava and call on Him. Hanuman's jnana-bhakti, Narada's pure bhakti.
  11823. 124"Rama asked, 'Hanuman! In what bhava do you worship Me?' Hanuman said, 'Sometimes I see You as the whole and myself as a part; sometimes I see You as…
  11824. 125"Rama said to Narada, 'Take a boon.' Narada said, 'Rama! Grant this boon: may pure bhakti be mine for Your lotus feet, and may Your world-enchanting m…
  11825. 126Now the Master is about to rise.
  11826. 127Sri Ramakrishna, to Nanda Bose: The Gita's teaching—one whom many hold in regard and honour has a special power of God. In you there is God's power.
  11827. 128Nanda Bose: All men have equal power.
  11828. 129Sri Ramakrishna, annoyed: That is the one thing you people say—can everyone's power be equal? As the all-pervading One, He is present in all beings al…
  11829. 130"Vidyasagar too said the same thing—'Has He given more power to this one, and to that one so much?' Then I said—'If power does not differ, what have w…
  11830. 131The Master rose. The devotees too rose with him. Pasupati went along with him and saw him to the door.
  11831. 1Section Nineteen
  11832. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Houses of Devotees in the City of Calcutta
  11833. 3Chapter One
  11834. 4Sri Ramakrishna at the House of the Grieving Brahmani
  11835. 5The Master has come to the house of a grieving brahmani in Baghbazar. It is an old house, built of brick. As one enters, the cowshed is on the left. A…
  11836. 6The brahmanis are two sisters, both of them widows. Their brothers also live in the house with their families. The brahmani's only daughter has left t…
  11837. 7The Master came with the devotees and took his seat in the place made ready on the roof. Near him, on a mat, were M., Narayan, Jogin Sen, Devendra and…
  11838. 8At a sound from downstairs she says again: "There, sister is coming." With that she began to look. But the brahmani had not yet arrived.
  11839. 9The Master is seated, his face full of smiles, with the devotees all around him.
  11840. 10M., to Devendra: What a wonderful sight. Boys and old men, men and women, standing in rows! How eager they all are—to see him! And to hear his words!
  11841. 11Devendra, to Sri Ramakrishna: M. says this place is a better place than Nanda Bose's—what devotion these people have!
  11842. 12The Master is smiling.
  11843. 13Now the brahmani's sister says, "There, sister is coming."
  11844. 14The brahmani came, saluted the Master, and could settle on nothing at all: what to say, what to do.
  11845. 15Beside herself, the brahmani says: "Oh, I cannot live, I am so happy, oh!—All of you, tell me, how am I to live! Oh, when my Chandi came—with sepoys a…
  11846. 16"Let me go—let me tell everyone, Come, all of you, and see my happiness!—Let me go—let me tell Jogin, Come and see my good fortune!"
  11847. 17Beside herself with joy again, the brahmani says: "Oh, a porter put one rupee into the game—the lottery—and won a hundred thousand rupees—and the mome…
  11848. 18Seeing the brahmani's yearning and the state of her feeling, Mani was enchanted. He went to take the dust of her feet. The brahmani says, "What is thi…
  11849. 19The brahmani is delighted to see that the devotees have come, and she says: "You've all come—I've brought the younger Naren—I say, otherwise who would…
  11850. 20The brahmani is lost in joy! She is looking at the Master and the devotees. She cannot bring herself to leave them.
  11851. 21After this talk the brahmani, with great devotion, took the Master into another room and offered him sweets and the like. The devotees too, sitting on…
  11852. 22It was nearly eight at night, and the Master is taking his leave. On the ground floor there is a verandah along the side of the room; one goes along t…
  11853. 23The brahmani says to the Master, "And here is another brother; a dunce."
  11854. 24Sri Ramakrishna: No, no, all are good people.
  11855. 25Someone is coming along with them holding a lamp; as they went, at one spot there was not light enough.
  11856. 26The younger Naren says loudly: "Hold the lamp, hold the lamp! Don't think the lamp-holding is over!" Everyone laughed.
  11857. 27Now the cowshed. The brahmani says to the Master, This is my cowshed. He stood for a moment in front of the cowshed, the devotees all around him. Mani…
  11858. 28Now the Master will go to the house of Ganu's mother.
  11859. 29Chapter Two
  11860. 30Sri Ramakrishna at the House of Ganu's Mother
  11861. 31The Master Sri Ramakrishna is seated in the sitting room of Ganu's mother's house. The room is on the ground floor, right on the street. Inside the ro…
  11862. 32It is half past eight at night. Today is the first day of the dark fortnight of the month of Asharh. In the moonlight the sky, the houses, the high ro…
  11863. 33The brahmani too has come with them. One moment she goes into the house, the next she comes out and stands by the door of the sitting room. A number o…
  11864. 34Seeing that the boys have climbed up on the windows, the younger Naren says—"Hey, what are you doing here? Go, go, go home. The Master Sri Ramakrishna…
  11865. 35Now and then the Master says, "Hari Om! Hari Om!"
  11866. 36A seat has been laid over the cotton rug, and on it Sri Ramakrishna has sat down. The boys of the band were asked to sing. They were finding no room t…
  11867. 37The Master says, "Sit right on this, do. Here, I'm taking it." With that he rolled up his seat. The boys are singing:
  11868. 38O Kesava, have mercy on the lowly, You who roam the groves and woods. O Madhava, enchanter of the mind, bearing the enchanting flute. (Say Hari, say H…
  11869. 39A song—Come, Mother, Uma, my life—and the rest.
  11870. 40Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, what a song!—What a violin!—What playing!
  11871. 41One of the boys was playing the flute. Pointing to him and to another boy, he says, "This one is like his pair."
  11872. 42Now there began a concert of instruments alone. After the playing the Master, delighted, says—"Ah! How wonderful!"
  11873. 43Pointing to one of the boys, he says, "He knows it all—every kind of playing."
  11874. 44He says to M.—"These are all fine people."
  11875. 45When the boys had finished their singing and playing, they say to the devotees: "You sing something!" The brahmani is standing there. From the doorway…
  11876. 46One of the boys: Why? I can sing in front of my father.
  11877. 47The younger Naren, laughing loudly: He hasn't got that far!
  11878. 48Everyone is laughing. After a while the brahmani comes and says—"Please come inside." Sri Ramakrishna says, "Why so!"
  11879. 49The brahmani: Some refreshments have been set out there; will you come?
  11880. 50Sri Ramakrishna: Bring them here, why don't you.
  11881. 51The brahmani: Ganu's mother says, Please grant the dust of your feet to the room just once; then the room will become Kashi—and whoever dies in the ro…
  11882. 52The Master Sri Ramakrishna went into the inner apartments with the brahmani and the boys of the household. The devotees began to stroll in the moonlig…
  11883. 53Chapter Three
  11884. 54A Secret Talk: "All Three Are One"
  11885. 55The Master is resting in the room on the west side of the sitting room in Balaram's house; he is about to go to sleep. It has grown very late coming b…
  11886. 56The Master says, "Jogin, just stroke my feet a little, will you."
  11887. 57Mani is sitting near him.
  11888. 58Jogin is stroking his feet when the Master says, I'm hungry, I'll eat a little farina.
  11889. 59The brahmani has come here too, along with them. The brahmani's brother plays the bayan and tabla quite well. Seeing the brahmani again, the Master sa…
  11890. 60The Master ate a little farina. One by one Jogin and the other devotees went out of the room. Mani is stroking the Master's feet, and the Master is ta…
  11891. 61Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, what joy these people have—the brahmanis.
  11892. 62Mani: How wonderful, it was exactly like this in the time of Jesus Christ! They too were two women devotees, two sisters. Martha and Mary.
  11893. 63Sri Ramakrishna, eagerly: Tell me their story.
  11894. 64Mani: Jesus Christ went to their house with his devotees in exactly this way. One of the sisters, seeing him, was filled to overflowing with rapture.…
  11895. 65'The eyes sank and did not come back. My mind forgot how to swim in the sea of Gaur's beauty and sank to the bottom.'
  11896. 66"The other sister was getting the food ready all alone. All in a fluster she complained to Jesus, 'Lord, just look—how wrong of sister! She is sitting…
  11897. 67"Then Jesus said, It is your sister who is blessed, because what a human life needs—that is, loving God, love—that she has.'
  11898. 68Sri Ramakrishna: Well, what do you feel, seeing all this?
  11899. 69Mani: It seems to me that all three are one substance!—Jesus Christ, Chaitanyadeva and you—one person!
  11900. 70Sri Ramakrishna: One, one! It is nothing but one. He—God—don't you see—is, as it were, upon this, just so!
  11901. 71Saying this, the Master pointed a finger at his own body—as if saying that God has taken on his body itself and has come down as an incarnation and is…
  11902. 72Mani: The other day you explained this matter of incarnation very well.
  11903. 73Sri Ramakrishna: What was it? Tell me.
  11904. 74Mani: As if there were a field lying there, stretching to every horizon! Vast and empty! Because there is a wall in front, I cannot see it—in that wal…
  11905. 75Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, what is that gap?
  11906. 76Mani: That gap is you! Through you everything can be seen—that field stretching to every horizon can be seen!
  11907. 77Sri Ramakrishna was very pleased, and began patting Mani. And he said, "So you have understood that.—That's good."
  11908. 78Mani: That is the hard thing, you see; how He, the Perfect Brahman, stays within that little—that one cannot understand.
  11909. 79Sri Ramakrishna: 'None of you knew him! O, he wanders in a madman's guise—in the guise of a poor and lowly beggar—from house to house of the jivas.'
  11910. 80Mani: And you had spoken of Jesus.
  11911. 81Sri Ramakrishna: What, what?
  11912. 82Mani: In Jadu Mallick's garden, at the sight of a picture of Jesus, there had been bhava samadhi. You had seen the form of Jesus come out of the pictu…
  11913. 83The Master is silent for some time. Then again he says to Mani: "This that has come in the throat, perhaps there is a meaning in it—lest I make myself…
  11914. 84The Master speaks of Dwija. He says, "Didn't Dwija come?"
  11915. 85Mani: I had told him to come! He was to come today; but why he didn't, I cannot say.
  11916. 86Sri Ramakrishna: He has great longing. Well, he must be one of those who belong here—that is, one of the inner circle—mustn't he?
  11917. 87Mani: Yes, sir, it must be so; otherwise there would not be so much longing.
  11918. 88Mani has gone inside the mosquito net and is fanning the Master.
  11919. 89After turning a little on his side the Master is talking again. The talk is of how he comes down into man and plays his divine play.
  11920. 90Sri Ramakrishna: That is your line. With me, earlier, there was a state when I would not see forms. Even now, don't you see, the forms are growing few…
  11921. 91Mani: Of all the divine plays, I like the play as man best.
  11922. 92Sri Ramakrishna: Then that will do—and you are seeing me!
  11923. 93Is the Master Sri Ramakrishna saying that God has come down in me in human form and is playing His divine play?
  11924. 1Section Twenty-Four
  11925. 2With Rakhal, M., Mahimacharan and Other Devotees at Dakshineswar
  11926. 3Chapter One
  11927. 4Dwija, Dwija's Father and the Master Sri Ramakrishna—The Debt to the Mother and the Debt to the Father
  11928. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with Rakhal, M. and other devotees in that same room of the Dakshineswar temple, familiar from before. It is three or four…
  11929. 6The first signs of the Master's throat illness have appeared. Even so, the whole day long he thinks only of the welfare of the devotees—how they may n…
  11930. 7Ten or twelve days ago, on Tuesday the twenty-eighth of July, he had come to Calcutta to see the pictures of the deities at the house of Sri Nandalal…
  11931. 8Sri Rakhal had come from Vrindavan and stayed at home for some days. These days he, Latu, Harish and Ramlal are living with the Master.
  11932. 9It is some months since Holy Mother came from her village to serve the Master. She is staying in the Nahabat. The 'grief-stricken brahmani' has come a…
  11933. 10With the Master are seated Dwija, Dwija's father and his brothers, M. and others. Today is the 9th of August, 1885.
  11934. 11Dwija must be about sixteen years old. After his mother passed away, his father married a second time. Dwija often comes to the Master with M.—but his…
  11935. 12Dwija's father had been saying for a long time that he would come to see the Master. So today he has come. He is an officer in a merchant's office in…
  11936. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to Dwija's father: Your sons come here; you will not take that amiss.
  11937. 14"I say, go and live in the world after gaining chaitanya. If someone finds gold after much toil, he can keep it in the earth—he can keep it in a box a…
  11938. 15"I say, lead the life of the world unattached. Rub oil on your hands and break open the jackfruit—then the sticky sap will not cling to your hands.
  11939. 16"If you try to keep a raw mind in the world, the mind becomes soiled. One must gain knowledge, and only then live in the world.
  11940. 17"Put milk into plain water and the milk is spoiled. Take out the butter and set it on the water, and then there is no trouble at all."
  11941. 18Dwija's father: Yes, sir.
  11942. 19Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "I understand what it means, this scolding and all that you give them. What you do is frighten them. To the snake the brahma…
  11943. 20"A good son is a sign of the father's merit. If a tank has good water—that is a sign of the merit of the tank's owner.
  11944. 21"A son is called atmaja, born of the self. You and your son are no different at all. In one form you have become the son. In one form you are a man of…
  11945. 22"If they come here, these boys will be able to know what stuff you are made of. What a great thing a father is! Whoever practises religion by cheating…
  11946. 23Earlier Days—Sri Ramakrishna's Thought for His Mother at Vrindavan
  11947. 24"Man has many debts. The debt to the fathers, the debt to the gods, the debt to the rishis; besides these, there is the debt to the mother as well. Th…
  11948. 25"I could not stay at Vrindavan because of my mother. As soon as I remembered that my mother was at the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, my mind would no l…
  11949. 26"I tell them: lead the life of the world, and keep your mind on God as well.—I do not tell them to give up the world—do this, and do that too."
  11950. 27The father: What I say is, there must be study, of course—I do not forbid them to come here to you. Only, they should not pass their time fooling abou…
  11951. 28Sri Ramakrishna: This one—Dwija—certainly had samskaras. Why did it not come to these two brothers? And why did it come to this one, of all?
  11952. 29"Can you forbid it by force. Whatever each one has—his samskara—that is what will come about."
  11953. 30The father: Yes, that is true.
  11954. 31The Master has come down to the floor near Dwija's father and sat on the mat. As he talks, he lays his hand on him every so often.
  11955. 32Evening is close at hand. The Master is saying to M. and the others, "Take them all round to see the deities—if I were well, I would have gone with th…
  11956. 33He told them to give the boys sandesh. To Dwija's father he said, "They will eat a little; one must sweeten the mouth."
  11957. 34Dwija's father, having seen the temples and the deities, is strolling a little in the garden. In his own room, on the south-east verandah, the Master…
  11958. 35After dusk Dwija's father comes to the Master's room again. He is to take his leave shortly.
  11959. 36Dwija's father is feeling hot—the Master, taking the fan in his own hand, is fanning him.
  11960. 37The father took his leave—the Master himself rose and stood.
  11961. 38Chapter Two
  11962. 39The Master Speaks Freely—Is Sri Ramakrishna a Perfected Soul or an Incarnation?
  11963. 40It is eight at night. The Master is talking with Mahimacharan. In the room are Rakhal, M., and one or two of Mahimacharan's companions.
  11964. 41Mahimacharan will stay tonight.
  11965. 42Sri Ramakrishna: Well, how does Kedar seem to you?—has he seen the milk, or has he drunk it?
  11966. 43Mahima: Yes, he is enjoying bliss.
  11967. 44Sri Ramakrishna: Nityagopal?
  11968. 45Mahima: Very much!—a fine state.
  11969. 46Sri Ramakrishna: Yes. Well, how has Girish Ghosh turned out?
  11970. 47Mahima: He has turned out well. But they are a class apart.
  11971. 48Sri Ramakrishna: Narendra?
  11972. 49Mahima: He is what I was fifteen years ago.
  11973. 50Sri Ramakrishna: The younger Naren? Simple, isn't he?
  11974. 51Mahima: Yes, very simple.
  11975. 52Sri Ramakrishna: "You are right." He is thinking as he speaks. "Who else is there."
  11976. 53"Of the boys who are coming here, it is enough if they know two things. Then they will not have to do much more sadhana and bhajana. First, who I am—a…
  11977. 54"Those who are of the inner circle will not have mukti. In the north-west there will be a body—mine—once more.
  11978. 55"Seeing the boys, my heart grows cool. And those who have had children, who go about with suits and lawsuits—who are wrapped up in woman and gold—how…
  11979. 56Mahimacharan is reciting slokas from the scriptures, and he is speaking of the various mudras taught in the Tantras, the bhuchari, the khechari, the s…
  11980. 57The Master's Five Kinds of Samadhi—The Piercing of the Six Centres—The Truth of Yoga—The Kundalini
  11981. 58Sri Ramakrishna: Well, some people say that after samadhi my soul flies about in the great sky like a bird.
  11982. 59"A sadhu from Hrishikesh had come. He said that samadhi is of five kinds—and I see that you have them all. Like the ant, like the fish, like the monke…
  11983. 60"Sometimes the vayu rises, creeping and tingling like an ant—sometimes in the state of samadhi the soul, a fish in the sea of bhava, plays in bliss!
  11984. 61"Sometimes I am lying on my side, and the Mahavayu pushes me like a monkey—makes sport. I keep quiet. Then that vayu suddenly leaps like a monkey and…
  11985. 62"And sometimes, like a bird, from this branch to that, from that branch to this—the Mahavayu goes on rising. The branch it sits on, that place feels l…
  11986. 63"And sometimes the Mahavayu moves with a crosswise gait—zigzag! Moving on like that, at last it comes to the head, and samadhi comes.
  11987. 64Earlier Days—The First Madness, at Twenty-Two or Twenty-Three, 1858—The Piercing of the Six Centres
  11988. 65"Unless the Kulakundalini wakes, chaitanya does not come.
  11989. 66"In the Muladhara is the Kulakundalini. When chaitanya comes, she passes through the Sushumna nerve, piercing all these centres, the Svadhishthana, th…
  11990. 67"Merely reading books does not bring chaitanya—one must call on Him. Only when one is restless with longing does the Kulakundalini wake. Talk of knowl…
  11991. 68"When this state came, just before it I was shown—how the Kulakundalini Sakti awakens. Little by little all the lotuses began to open, and samadhi cam…
  11992. 69"When it came to the heart—I remember it well—after the love-play with the tongue, the twelve-petalled lotus, hanging face down, turned face upward—an…
  11993. 70Chapter Three
  11994. 71Earlier Days—The Master Speaks Freely—Is the Master a Perfected Soul or an Incarnation?
  11995. 72Talking with God—The Vision of Maya—Seeing the Devotees Before They Came—Seeing Keshab Sen in Ecstasy—The Vision of the Indivisible Satchidananda, and…
  11996. 73Saying this, the Master comes down and sits on the floor near Mahimacharan. Near him are M. and one or two other devotees. Rakhal too is in the room.
  11997. 74Sri Ramakrishna, to Mahima: I have long wished to tell you, but I could not—today I feel like telling it.
  11998. 75"This state of mine—you say that by sadhana alone one becomes like that; it is not so. In this—in me—there is something special.
  11999. 76M., Rakhal and the other devotees, amazed, are listening eagerly for what the Master will say.
  12000. 77Sri Ramakrishna: Has spoken!—not only been seen—has spoken. Under the banyan I saw, coming up out of the Ganges—and then, such laughter! In play, fing…
  12001. 78"I wept for three days on end, and what is in the Vedas, Puranas and Tantras—in all these scriptures—He has shown me it all.
  12002. 79"What the maya of Mahamaya is, that was shown me one day. Inside the room a small light began by degrees to grow! And began to cover up the universe!
  12003. 80"Then it was shown—as if a great pond, covered with weed! In the wind the weed drew aside a little—at once the water could be seen. But even as one lo…
  12004. 81"What sort of people—devotees—will come here is shown before they come. From the banyan to the bakul tree I was shown Chaitanyadeva's band of sankirta…
  12005. 82Sri Ramakrishna, Keshab Sen, and the Entry of Hari's Name and the Mother's Name into His Samaj
  12006. 83"Before I met Keshab Sen, I saw him! In samadhi I saw Keshab Sen and his followers. A roomful of people sitting before me. Keshab appeared as though a…
  12007. 84Pointing to himself: "There is something within this—within me. A boy called Gopal Sen used to come—it is a long time ago. He who is within this place…
  12008. 85"Wonderful visions I have had, all of them. The vision of the Indivisible Satchidananda. Within it I see two classes with a fence set between them. On…
  12009. 86"Seeing him deep in meditation I said, 'O Narendra!' His eyes opened a little.—I understood that in one form he is there in Simla as a Kayastha's son.…
  12010. 87"So I think that within this—myself—the Mother Herself is sporting with the devotees. When this state first came, the body used to blaze with light. T…
  12011. 88"Otherwise people would have harassed me. Crowds would have formed—if I had had such a body of light. Now there is no outward show. By this the weeds…
  12012. 89"I had a wish—I said to Mother, 'Mother, I will be the king of the devotees!'
  12013. 90"Then it rose in my mind, whoever calls on God from the heart will have to come here! Will have to come!' You see, that is just what is happening—it i…
  12014. 91"Who is within this, my father and his people knew! My father dreamed at Gaya—Raghuvir is saying, 'I will be your son.'
  12015. 92"He alone is within this. The renunciation of woman and gold! Is that my doing! Union with a woman did not happen even in a dream!
  12016. 93"Nangta gave me the teaching of Vedanta. In just three days, samadhi. Seeing that state of samadhi under the madhavi creeper, he is dumbfounded and sa…
  12017. 94"Then day and night by his side! Nothing but Vedanta! The Brahmani used to say, 'Baba, do not listen to Vedanta!—it will harm your bhakti.'
  12018. 95"As soon as I said to Mother, 'Mother, how will this body be kept, and how will I live with sadhus and devotees!—bring me some rich man!'—so it was th…
  12019. 96"He who is within this lets me know beforehand what class of devotee will come. As soon as I see the form of Gauranga come before me, I can tell at on…
  12020. 97"From the roof of the kuthi, at the time of the arati, I used to cry out, O you, whoever you are, wherever you are, come.' You see, now they are all g…
  12021. 98"He Himself is within this—as if of His own accord He is doing the work with all these devotees.
  12022. 99"How wonderful the state of one devotee is! The younger Naren—his kumbhaka comes of its own accord! And samadhi! Once in a while, sometimes, two and a…
  12023. 100"Every kind of sadhana has been done here—jnanayoga, bhaktiyoga, karmayoga. Even hathayoga—to lengthen life! There is Someone within this. Otherwise,…
  12024. 101Earlier Days—With Keshab, Pratap and Cook on the Steamer, 1881
  12025. 102"On all sides worldly people—on all sides woman and gold—and from in the midst of so much, such a state!—samadhi and bhava never cease. That is why Pr…
  12026. 103Rakhal, M. and the others, astonished, are hearing these wonderful words from the holy lips of the Master Sri Ramakrishna.
  12027. 104Did Mahimacharan grasp the Master's hint? Even after hearing all these words he is saying—"Sir, all this has come about through your prarabdha." What…
  12028. 105Chapter Four
  12029. 106Mahimacharan's Brahmachakra—Earlier Days—Totapuri's Teaching
  12030. 107'Is a Vision in a Dream a Small Thing?' Narendra Sees Divine Forms
  12031. 108It is nine at night. The Master is sitting on the small cot. Mahimacharan's wish is this—the Master will be in the room—and he will form a brahmachakr…
  12032. 109It must be one o'clock at night. Today is the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight. Thick darkness on every side. One or two devotees are walking alon…
  12033. 110In the last part of the night Mahimacharan and M. are lying on the floor in the Master's room itself. Rakhal too has lain down on a camp cot.
  12034. 111Naked like a child of five, the Master is pacing about the room now and then.
  12035. 112Dawn came. The Master was repeating the Mother's name. He went out to the west verandah and looked upon the Ganges. To every picture of a god or godde…
  12036. 113The Master is talking with a devotee in the Panchavati. He had seen Chaitanyadeva in a dream.
  12037. 114Sri Ramakrishna, in ecstasy: Aha! Aha!
  12038. 115A devotee: Sir, that was in a dream.
  12039. 116Sri Ramakrishna: Is a dream a small thing!
  12040. 117Tears in the Master's eyes. A voice choked with feeling!
  12041. 118Hearing of a devotee's vision in the waking state, he is saying, "What is wonderful in that! These days Narendra too sees divine forms!"
  12042. 119Mahimacharan, having finished his morning duties, has gone to the Siva temple on the west side of the temple courtyard and is chanting Vedic mantras i…
  12043. 120It is eight in the morning. Mani has bathed in the Ganges and come to the Master. The grief-stricken brahmani too has come for darshan.
  12044. 121Sri Ramakrishna, to the brahmani: Do give him some prasad to eat, won't you—luchis and such. They are on the shelf.
  12045. 122The brahmani: You eat first. Then he will have prasad.
  12046. 123Sri Ramakrishna: You first eat Jagannath's atka, then the prasad.
  12047. 124Having taken the prasad, Mani had darshan of Siva in the Siva temple, came back to the Master, and, bowing down, is taking his leave.
  12048. 125Sri Ramakrishna, tenderly: Come again. You will have to go back to work.
  12049. 1Section Eighteen
  12050. 2Chapter One
  12051. 3Sri Ramakrishna in Silence, and the Vision of Maya
  12052. 4In the temple at Dakshineswar Sri Ramakrishna has kept silence from eight o'clock in the morning until three in the afternoon. Today is Tuesday, the e…
  12053. 5Sri Ramakrishna has begun to fall ill. Has he come to know that he will soon leave this world? That he will go once more and sit in the lap of the Wor…
  12054. 6Sri Ramakrishna says by a sign, 'No'.
  12055. 7Narayan has come, at three in the afternoon; the Master says to Narayan, "The Mother will do you good."
  12056. 8Joyfully Narayan gave the devotees the news: 'The Master has now spoken.' It was as if a slab of stone had come off the chests of Rakhal and the other…
  12057. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to Rakhal and the other devotees: 'Mother' was showing that all is maya! She alone is real, and whatever else there is, all of it is…
  12058. 10"And one more thing I saw: how far each of the devotees has got."
  12059. 11Narayan and other devotees: Well, who has got how far?
  12060. 12Sri Ramakrishna: I saw all of these—Nityagopal, Rakhal, Narayan, Purna, Mahima Chakravarty and others.
  12061. 1Chapter Two
  12062. 2Sri Ramakrishna with Girish, Pandit Shashadhar and Other Devotees
  12063. 3The devotees in Calcutta came to hear the news of the Master's illness. Everyone was saying that the trouble was in his uvula.
  12064. 4Sunday, the sixteenth of August. Many devotees have come to see him: Girish, Ram, Nityagopal; Mahima Chakravarti, Kishori (Gupta), Pandit Shashadhar T…
  12065. 5The Master is full of joy as before and is talking with the devotees.
  12066. 6Sri Ramakrishna: I cannot speak of the illness to the Mother. I feel ashamed to speak of it.
  12067. 7Girish: My Narayana will heal it.
  12068. 8Ram: It will get better.
  12069. 9Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Yes, give that blessing." Everyone laughs.
  12070. 10Girish has begun coming here lately. The Master says to him, "You have to live in the midst of a great deal of turmoil, and you have much work; come t…
  12071. 11Teaching to Pandit Shashadhar: Brahman and the Adyasakti Are Not Different
  12072. 12Sri Ramakrishna, to Shashadhar: Say something about the Adyasakti.
  12073. 13Shashadhar: What do I know?
  12074. 14Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "A certain man has great devotion to someone. That devotee was asked to bring fire for preparing the tobacco; and he said, A…
  12075. 15Shashadhar: Sir, He alone is the efficient cause, He alone is the material cause. He alone has created the jivas and the world, and again He alone has…
  12076. 16Sri Ramakrishna: And there is this: the very One who is Purusha is Prakriti; the very One who is Brahman is Sakti. When inactive, when He is not creat…
  12077. 17Sri Ramakrishna in Samadhi at the Talk of the Knowledge of Brahman: Enjoyment and Work
  12078. 18"What Brahman is cannot be told by the mouth; the mouth closes. My Nitai is a maddened elephant! My Nitai is a maddened elephant! Saying these words o…
  12079. 19As he speaks these words, the Master passes into samadhi! Standing, just as he is, he is in samadhi.
  12080. 20Some time after coming out of samadhi he says: What lies beyond 'kshara' and 'akshara' cannot be told by the mouth.
  12081. 21All are silent. The Master speaks again: "So long as some enjoyment remains, or some work remains, samadhi does not come.
  12082. 22In those who cling to enjoyment and lordly power, their minds carried off by it, the understanding that is firm in resolve is not set in samadhi. Bhag…
  12083. 23To Shashadhar: "Now God is having you do work, giving lectures and the like; now you must do all those things.
  12084. 24"Once the bit of work is done, then no more. When the housewife has finished all the work of the house and gone to bathe, she does not turn back, howe…
  12085. 1Section Twenty-Five
  12086. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Temple at Dakshineswar with Rakhal, M., Pandit Shyamapada and Other Devotees
  12087. 3Chapter One
  12088. 4In the Temple of Samadhi—Grace to Pandit Shyamapada
  12089. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in the room with one or two devotees. It is five o'clock in the afternoon; Thursday, the twelfth of Bhadra, the second luna…
  12090. 6The Master's illness has begun. Yet when any of the devotees come, he does not regard the body as a body. Perhaps the whole day long he is talking wit…
  12091. 7Sri Madhu, the doctor, often comes by boat—to treat the Master. The devotees have grown very anxious. Their wish is this: that Madhu the doctor should…
  12092. 8Pandit Shyamapada Bhattacharya came and had the Master's darshan. His home is in the village of Antpur. Seeing that evening had almost come, the pandi…
  12093. 9While he was doing his evening worship the pandit saw some wondrous vision. When the worship was over he came into the Master's room and took his seat…
  12094. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to M., pointing to the pandit: "He is a fine man." To the pandit: "Where the mind comes to peace by going 'Neti,' 'neti,' it is just…
  12095. 11The Signs of the Vision of God, and Pandit Shyamapada—'In the Temple of Samadhi'
  12096. 12"The king is past seven gates. Going to the first gate, a man sees a lord of great wealth sitting with a great many people about him; such great pomp!…
  12097. 13"At the second gate, and at the other gates too, the same was said. He sees that the farther he goes, the greater the splendour! And the pomp! When he…
  12098. 14God, Maya, the Living Beings and the World—the Adhyatma Ramayana—the Hymn of Yamalarjuna
  12099. 15The pandit: When one goes beyond the kingdom of maya, He is seen.
  12100. 16Sri Ramakrishna: After realizing Him one sees again that He alone has become this maya, the living beings and the world! This world is a framework of…
  12101. 17"What will come of merely reading the scriptures? The pandits do nothing but reason."
  12102. 18The pandit: If anyone calls me a pandit, I feel disgust.
  12103. 19Sri Ramakrishna: That is His grace! The pandits do nothing but reason. But one has heard of milk, another has seen milk. After realizing Him you will…
  12104. 20The pandit is reciting a hymn to Narayana for him to hear. The Master is rapt in joy.
  12105. 21The pandit: The Self dwelling in every being, and every being in the Self— this he beholds whose self is joined in yoga, who sees the same everywhere.
  12106. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Have you looked into the Adhyatma (Ramayana)?
  12107. 23The pandit: Yes, sir, I have looked into it a little.
  12108. 24Sri Ramakrishna: It is full of knowledge and devotion. The story of Sabari, the hymn of Ahalya—all of it full of devotion.
  12109. 25"But there is one thing. He is very far from worldly-mindedness."
  12110. 26The pandit: Where there is worldly-mindedness, He is "far away"—and where that is not, there He is "not far". I went and saw a zamindar of Uttarpara,…
  12111. 27Sri Ramakrishna: The Adhyatma says one more thing: that He alone is the living beings and the world!
  12112. 28The pandit, filled with joy, is reciting the hymn of Yamalarjuna, which speaks in this vein, from the Srimad Bhagavata, the tenth skandha—
  12113. 29'Krishna, Krishna, great yogi, You are the First, the Supreme Person. This universe, manifest and unmanifest, is Your form, so the brahmins know. You…
  12114. 30Sri Ramakrishna in Samadhi—'If One Does Meditation and Japa Sincerely, One Must Come'
  12115. 31Hearing the hymn the Master is in samadhi! He is standing. The pandit is seated. Placing one foot on the pandit's lap and breast, the Master is smilin…
  12116. 32Holding the foot, the pandit says, 'O Guru, give me consciousness.' The Master is standing by the small cot, facing east.
  12117. 33When the pandit has gone out of the room, the Master says to M.—Is what I say coming true? Those who have practised meditation and japa sincerely must…
  12118. 34It is ten o'clock at night. The Master has eaten a very little semolina payas and lain down. He says to Mani, "Do stroke my feet with your hand."
  12119. 35After a while he asks for his body and chest to be stroked.
  12120. 36After a short sleep he says to Mani, "You go and lie down—let me see whether sleep comes if I am alone." The Master says to Ramlal, "It will do if thi…
  12121. 1Chapter Two
  12122. 2Sri Ramakrishna and Jesus Christ
  12123. 3Dawn came. The Master rose and was thinking of the Mother. Because he was unwell, the devotees did not hear that sweet name from his holy lips. When h…
  12124. 4Mani: Sir, unless everything is as it is with men, the jivas will not take courage. They have seen that in spite of so much illness in this body, stil…
  12125. 5Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Balaram too said, 'If you yourself have this, then why should we not have it?'
  12126. 6"When Rama could not lift his bow for grief over Sita, Lakshmana was struck with wonder. But caught in the snare of the five elements, Brahman weeps."
  12127. 7Mani: Seeing a devotee's grief, Jesus Christ too wept like other people.
  12128. 8Sri Ramakrishna: What happened?
  12129. 9Mani: Martha and Mary, two sisters, and a brother, Lazarus——all three of them were devotees of Jesus Christ. Lazarus died. Jesus was coming to their h…
  12130. 10Sri Ramakrishna and Siddhai (Miracle)
  12131. 11"Then he went to the grave and began to call him by his name. At once Lazarus came to life, rose and came out!"
  12132. 12Sri Ramakrishna: But with me those things do not happen.
  12133. 13Jesus Christ.
  12134. 14Mani: That you do not do—of your own will. Those are all siddhais, and so you do not do them. If such things were done, people's minds would go to the…
  12135. 15"Much in you tallies with Jesus Christ!"
  12136. 16Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And what other things tally?
  12137. 17Mani: You do not tell the devotees to fast or to practise any other austerity—and about eating and drinking too there is no hard rule. The disciples o…
  12138. 18Sri Ramakrishna: What does this mean?
  12139. 19Mani: That is to say, as long as they are with the Avatar, at his side, his close companions will have nothing but joy—why should they be joyless? Whe…
  12140. 20Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Does anything more tally?
  12141. 21Mani: Yes, sir. Just as you say—"Woman and gold have not entered into the young boys; they will be able to take in the teaching—as milk can be kept in…
  12142. 22Sri Ramakrishna: What did he use to say?
  12143. 23Mani: 'If new wine is put in an old bottle, the bottle may burst. And 'If a new patch is put on old cloth, it soon tears.'
  12144. 24"Just as you say, 'The Mother and you are one,' so he too used to say, 'The Father and I are one!" (I and my Father are one).
  12145. 25Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Anything more?
  12146. 26Mani: Just as you say, 'If you call on Him with longing, He will hear; He will hear without fail.' He too used to say, 'Knock at the door with longing…
  12147. 27Sri Ramakrishna: Well, if there is an Avatar, is that one full, or a part, or a fraction? Some say full.
  12148. 28Mani: Sir, full, part, fraction—all that I cannot understand well. But the way you had put it, that I have understood well. A round hole in a wall.
  12149. 29Sri Ramakrishna: What is that, tell me?
  12150. 30Mani: A round hole in a wall—through that hole part of the meadow beyond the wall can be seen. In the same way, through you part of that infinite God…
  12151. 31Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, two or three krosas can be seen all at once!
  12152. 32Mani bathed in the Ganges at the Chandni ghat and came again to the Master, into the room. It was eight o'clock.
  12153. 33Mani is asking Latu for atka—the atka of Sri Sri Jagannathdeva.
  12154. 34Sri Ramakrishna comes close and says to Mani, "Do that (eating prasad)—those who are devotees cannot eat unless it is prasad."
  12155. 35Mani: Sir, as of yesterday I have brought Jagannath's atka from Balaram Babu's house—and so every day I eat one or two.
  12156. 36Mani bows to the ground before the Master and takes his leave. The Master says tenderly, Then come early—and then there is the sun of Bhadra—very bad.
  12157. 1Section Twenty-Six
  12158. 2With the Devotees in the Dakshineswar Temple on the Day of Janmashtami
  12159. 3Chapter One
  12160. 4The Coming of Subodh—Purna, M., Gangadhar, Kshirode, Nitai
  12161. 5Sri Ramakrishna is resting in that same room, familiar from before. It is eight o'clock at night. Monday, the sixteenth of Bhadra, the sixth day of th…
  12162. 6The Master is unwell—the illness in his throat has begun. Yet night and day he has a single thought: how the devotees may come to good. At times he is…
  12163. 7It has been two days—on Saturday night last—since Sri Purna wrote a letter: 'I feel great joy. At times I get no sleep at night, out of joy!'
  12164. 8When the letter was read to him, the Master had said, "The hair on my body is standing on end! That state of joy will stay on afterwards; let me see t…
  12165. 9Taking the letter in his hand, folding it and pressing it, he says, "I cannot touch other people's letters; his is a really good letter."
  12166. 10That night he lies down for a while. Suddenly his body is in a sweat—rising from the bed he says, "I feel that this illness will not be cured."
  12167. 11Hearing these words, the devotees all became anxious.
  12168. 12Holy Mother has come to serve the Master and lives in great seclusion in the nahabat. That she was there in the nahabat hardly any of the devotees kne…
  12169. 13The next day, Sunday, the Master says to her, "You have been here many days; what will people think? Better go home and stay there ten days." M. heard…
  12170. 14Today is Monday. The Master remains unwell. It is nearly eight o'clock at night. The Master is lying on the small cot with his back turned, his head t…
  12171. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Two boys came. The son of Sankar Ghosh's grandson—Subodh—and another, a boy of their neighbourhood—Kshirode. Fine boys, the two of th…
  12172. 16M.: Yes, sir, their house is in our neighbourhood.
  12173. 17The Illness Begins—Bhagavan the Doctor—Nitai the Doctor
  12174. 18Sri Ramakrishna: That day once more the sweat came on my body and broke my sleep. What sort of illness is this that has come!
  12175. 19M.: Sir, we have settled that we will have Bhagavan Rudra look at you once. He has passed the M.D. A very good doctor.
  12176. 20Sri Ramakrishna: How much will he take?
  12177. 21M.: Anywhere else he would take twenty or twenty-five rupees.
  12178. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Then let it be.
  12179. 23M.: Yes, sir; we shall give four or five rupees at the very most.
  12180. 24Sri Ramakrishna: Well, suppose you were to say once, in this way, 'Kindly come and see him.' Has he heard nothing of this place?
  12181. 25M.: I think he has heard. He has more or less said he will take nothing, but we shall give; because then he will come again.
  12182. 26Sri Ramakrishna: Bring Nitai—the doctor; he would be better, rather. And what are the doctors doing when they come, after all? They only press and mak…
  12183. 27Nine o'clock at night. The Master sat down to eat a little farina pudding.
  12184. 28Eating gave him no pain. So, rejoicing, he says to M., "I could eat a little; it has made my mind really glad."
  12185. 1Chapter Two
  12186. 2With Narendra, Ram, Girish and Other Devotees on the Day of Janmashtami
  12187. 3Balaram, M., Gopal's Mother, Rakhal, Latu, the Younger Naren, a Punjabi Sadhu, Navagopal, the Vaishnava of Katwa, Dr. Rakhal
  12188. 4Today is Janmashtami, Tuesday, the seventeenth of Bhadra; the first of September, 1885. The Master is about to bathe. A devotee is rubbing oil on him.…
  12189. 5His bath over, the Master puts on a towel, turns to the south, and from that same verandah bows down in the direction of the deities. Because his body…
  12190. 6Today is Janmashtami. Ram and other devotees have brought new clothes for the Master. The Master has put on the new clothes: a Brindavan cloth, and a…
  12191. 7Today is Janmashtami. Gopal's Mother has made some food for Gopal and brought it from Kamarhati. She comes and, grieving, says to the Master, "But you…
  12192. 8Sri Ramakrishna: You see, illness has come.
  12193. 9Gopal's Mother: My misfortune!—Do take a little in your hand!
  12194. 10Sri Ramakrishna: You give me your blessing.
  12195. 11Gopal's Mother used to serve the Master himself as Gopal.
  12196. 12The devotees have brought sugar candy. Gopal's Mother says, "Let me take this sugar candy to the nahabat." Sri Ramakrishna says, "Here it has to be gi…
  12197. 13It is eleven in the morning. The devotees are coming from Calcutta, one after another.
  12198. 14Sri Balaram, Narendra, the younger Naren, Navagopal, a Vaishnava from Katwa: they came one by one and gathered there. Rakhal and Latu are staying here…
  12199. 15The younger Naren has a lump on his forehead. The Master, walking about in the Panchavati, says, "Cut that lump off, go on; it isn't on the throat, yo…
  12200. 16The Punjabi sadhu is passing along the garden path. The Master says, "I don't draw him. The bhava of a jnani. To me he looks like dry wood!"
  12201. 17The Master has come back to his room. Shyamapada Bhattacharya is being talked of.
  12202. 18Balaram: He has said: when a foot was set on Narendra's chest, (absorption in bhava) came to him; but it hasn't happened so to me.
  12203. 19Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what it is? When the mind is on woman and gold, a scattered mind is hard to gather up. He has to settle people's disputes…
  12204. 20"But (Shyamapada) is quite a man!"
  12205. 21The Vaishnava of Katwa is putting questions to the Master. The Vaishnava is slightly squint-eyed.
  12206. 22Tidings of Other Births—Human Birth Is for Gaining Bhakti
  12207. 23The Vaishnava: Sir, is there birth again?
  12208. 24Sri Ramakrishna: It is in the Gita: whatever a man thinks of as he leaves the body at the time of death, with that bhava he must take birth. From thin…
  12209. 25The Vaishnava: That this happens—if someone saw it with his own eyes and said so, one could believe it.
  12210. 26Sri Ramakrishna: That I don't know, my dear. I can't cure my own illness—and what happens when one dies!
  12211. 27"All this you are saying is the talk of a low understanding. Strive for that by which bhakti for God comes. It is for gaining bhakti that you were bor…
  12212. 28Girish Ghosh and the Doctrine of the Avatar. Who Is Pure? He Who Has Faith and Bhakti
  12213. 29Sri Girish Ghosh has arrived by carriage with one or two friends. He has had something to drink! He comes in weeping, and lays his head at the Master'…
  12214. 30Sri Ramakrishna began to pat him tenderly! Calling a devotee, he says, "Here, give him a smoke."
  12215. 31Girish lifts his head, joins his hands, and says—You alone are the Perfect Brahman! If it is not so, everything is false!
  12216. 32"A great sorrow is left me, that I could not get to serve you!" He says these words in such a voice that one or two devotees are weeping!
  12217. 33"Grant me a boon, Lord: for one year I shall serve you. Liberation lies scattered everywhere—I pass water on it. Say it: shall I serve you for one yea…
  12218. 34Sri Ramakrishna: The people here are not good—someone will say something!
  12219. 35Girish: That won't do. Say it—
  12220. 36Sri Ramakrishna: All right, when I go to your house—
  12221. 37Girish: No, not that. I shall do it here.
  12222. 38Sri Ramakrishna, seeing his insistence: All right, that is as God wills.
  12223. 39The Master's throat is ailing. Girish speaks again: "Say, let it be cured!—All right, I'll charm it away. Kali! Kali!"
  12224. 40Sri Ramakrishna: It will hurt me!
  12225. 41Girish: "Get well!" He blows on it. "If it has not got well, then—if I have any bhakti at all for those feet, then it will surely get well! Say it: it…
  12226. 42Sri Ramakrishna, annoyed: Go on, my dear, I can't say such things. I can't speak to Mother about curing an illness. All right, it will be by God's wil…
  12227. 43Girish: Putting me off! By your will!
  12228. 44Sri Ramakrishna: Fie, you mustn't say that. Like a devotee, and not like Krishna. You may think as you think. One's own guru is God, to be sure—but fo…
  12229. 45Girish: Say it will get well.
  12230. 46Sri Ramakrishna: All right, what has come will go.
  12231. 47Girish, in his own mood, addresses the Master now and again and says, "Tell me, why haven't you come with beauty this time?"
  12232. 48A little later he says again, "This time, I suppose, it's the deliverance of Bengal!"
  12233. 49Some of the devotees are thinking, the deliverance of Bengal, the deliverance of the whole world!
  12234. 50Girish says again, "Why is he here, does any of you understand? He has come stricken by the suffering of beings; to deliver them!"
  12235. 51The coachman was calling. Girish gets up and goes over to him. Sri Ramakrishna says to M., "See where he goes—he won't strike him, I hope." M. too wen…
  12236. 52Girish has come back and is offering praise to the Master: "Lord, give me purity. So that I never have a sinful thought, not even a little."
  12237. 53Sri Ramakrishna: You are pure as it is.—Such faith and bhakti you have! You are in joy, aren't you?
  12238. 54Girish: No, sir. My mind is low—no peace—so I drank a great deal.
  12239. 55After a while Girish speaks again: "Lord, I am amazed that I am serving God, the Perfect Brahman! What austerity have I done, that I have become worth…
  12240. 56The Master took his midday meal. Being unwell, he ate very little, the merest bit.
  12241. 57The Master is ever in a state of bhava—he brings his mind to the body by force. Yet, like a child, he cannot take care of his body. Like a child he sa…
  12242. 58The Master has rested a little. The devotees are seated in the room again:
  12243. 59Girish Ghosh—The Guru Is Himself the Ishta—Two Kinds of Devotee
  12244. 60Girish: Tell me, the guru and the Ishta—I like the guru's form very much—it brings no fear—why is that? When I see bhava I keep ten cubits off. I'm af…
  12245. 61Sri Ramakrishna: He who is the Ishta comes in the form of the guru. After the sadhana on a corpse, when the Ishta is seen, it is the guru who comes an…
  12246. 62A devotee: The guru's head, the disciple's feet.
  12247. 63Girish, joyfully: Yes.
  12248. 64Navagopal: Listen to the meaning! The disciple's head is the guru's own, and the guru's feet are the disciple's own. Did you hear?
  12249. 65Girish: No, that isn't the meaning. Doesn't a son ride on his father's shoulders? That is why the disciple's feet.
  12250. 66Navagopal: That holds if he is a tender child like that.
  12251. 67Former Days—The Sikh Devotees—Two Classes of Devotee—The Young Monkey and the Kitten
  12252. 68Sri Ramakrishna: There are two kinds of devotee. Those of one class have the kitten's nature. Complete reliance—whatever the mother does. The kitten o…
  12253. 69"The Sikhs said—God is merciful. I said, He is our mother and father; what is merciful about that? When father and mother have brought children into t…
  12254. 70"There is another class of devotee, who have the young monkey's nature. The baby monkey, by its own effort, somehow or other clings to its mother. The…
  12255. 71"Both are devotees." He says to the devotees: "The farther you go, the more you will see that he alone has become everything—he alone is doing everyth…
  12256. 72Former Days—The Teaching to Keshab Sen, 'Go On Forward'
  12257. 73The farther you go, you will see that beyond the sandalwood too there is more—a silver mine—a gold mine—diamonds and rubies! So press on forward.
  12258. 74"And yet how can I say even this, 'Press on forward'!—If worldly people go forward too far, their household and all go to nothing! Keshab Sen was cond…
  12259. 75The Vaishnava's 'Bubbling'—'Take It In!' Truthfulness Is Austerity
  12260. 76The Vaishnava of Katwa was arguing. The Master says to him, "Give up this bubbling. Ghee bubbles so long as it is raw.
  12261. 77"Once his joy is tasted, the reasoning mind runs away. Once the joy of drinking honey is found, there is no more buzzing.
  12262. 78"What good is it to be able to say a few things from reading books? The pandits recite so many slokas—'Withered is the land of Gokula!'—all that.
  12263. 79"What good is saying 'siddhi, siddhi' with the lips? Even rinsing your mouth with it will do nothing. It must go into the stomach! Then comes the into…
  12264. 80Dr. Rakhal has come to see the Master. Hastily he says—"Come, sir, sit down." The talk with the Vaishnava went on.
  12265. 81Sri Ramakrishna: Manush and man-hunsh. He in whom consciousness has awakened, he alone is man-hunsh. Unless consciousness awakens, human birth is in v…
  12266. 82Former Days—Arbitration by the Righteous and Truthful at Kamarpukur
  12267. 83"In our part of the country there are many pot-bellied men with moustaches. Yet they bring a good man by palanquin from ten kos away, and why—seeing t…
  12268. 84"Truthful speech is the austerity of the Kali age. 'Truthful speech, meekness, another man's wife as one's mother.'
  12269. 85The Master says to the doctor like a child, "Babu, make this well for me."
  12270. 86The doctor: I am to make it well?
  12271. 87Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: The doctor is Narayana. I accept everything.
  12272. 88Reconciliation of Free Will and God's Will—of Liberty and Necessity—God Alone Is the Mahut Narayana
  12273. 89"If you say all is Narayana, then keeping still is enough; well, I accept the mahut Narayana too.
  12274. 90"Pure mind and pure Atman: they are one and the same! What rises in the pure mind is his very word. He alone is the 'mahut Narayana.'
  12275. 91"Why should I not listen to his word? He alone is the doer. So long as he has kept the 'I', I shall hear his command and do the work.
  12276. 92Now the doctor is going to examine the Master's throat. The Master says—"Mahendra Sarkar pressed the tongue, the way one presses a cow's tongue.
  12277. 93Again, like a child, the Master keeps putting his hand on the doctor's coat and says—"Babu! Babu! Do make this well!
  12278. 94Seeing the laryngoscope, the Master says, laughing, "I see, a reflection will fall in this."
  12279. 95Narendra sang. Because the Master was ill, there was not much singing.
  12280. 1Chapter Three
  12281. 2Sri Bhagavan Rudra, the Doctor, and Sri Ramakrishna
  12282. 3Sri Ramakrishna has taken his midday meal and is sitting on his own seat. He is talking with Doctor Bhagavan Rudra and M. In the room are Rakhal, Latu…
  12283. 4Today is Wednesday, the Nandotsava, the eighteenth of Bhadra; the lunar day is the eighth and ninth of Shravan; the second of September, 1885. The doc…
  12284. 5Sri Ramakrishna: Look here, medicine does not suit me! My constitution is different.
  12285. 6Touching Money, Tying a Knot—Laying Up—All These Impossible for the Master
  12286. 7"Well, what do you make of this? When I touch money my hand twists and bends. My breathing stops! And if I tie a knot (granthi), then until the knot i…
  12287. 8Saying this, he asked for a rupee to be brought. The doctor was astonished to see that when the rupee was set on his hand the hand bent; and his breat…
  12288. 9The doctor says to M., Action on the nerves (an action upon the nerves).
  12289. 10From Earlier Days—Opium Laid Up at Sambhu Mallick's Garden—Picking Mangoes at Kamarpukur, His Birthplace—Laying Up Impossible
  12290. 11The Master again says to the doctor, "There is one more state! There is no way I can lay anything up! One day I had gone to Sambhu Mallick's garden. I…
  12291. 12"In my village, too, I was carrying mangoes I had picked—and I could not walk on; I stood stock-still. Then I had to put them down in a place like a p…
  12292. 13Doctor: Behind that there is another (force), the force of the mind.
  12293. 14Mani: He says this is the force of God. You are saying the force of the mind.
  12294. 15Godforce.
  12295. 16Willforce.
  12296. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: Again, there is such a state that if someone says, 'It has gone down,' at once it goes down a great deal. The other da…
  12297. 18The Master is pleased to see the doctor's nature. He says to the doctor, "Your nature is a fine one. The two marks of knowledge—a calm nature, and the…
  12298. 19Mani: His (the doctor's) wife has died.
  12299. 20Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: I say that when there are three pulls God is attained. The mother's pull towards the child, the chaste wife's pull tow…
  12300. 21"Anyhow, my dear Babu, cure this."
  12301. 22The doctor will now examine the seat of the illness. The Master sat in a chair on the round verandah. First the Master spoke of Doctor Sarkar—"The ras…
  12302. 23Bhagavan: Probably he did not do it like that on purpose.
  12303. 24Sri Ramakrishna: No, it is not that; he pressed it so as to look very closely.
  12304. 1Chapter Three
  12305. 2Sri Ramakrishna Unwell, and Dr. Rakhal—Dancing with the Devotees
  12306. 3Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in his own room at the Dakshineswar temple. Sunday, the twentieth of September, 1885, the fifth of Aswin;…
  12307. 4M. has arrived, bringing with him Rakhal, the doctor of Bowbazar; he is going to show the Master's illness to the doctor.
  12308. 5The doctor is looking to see what illness has come in the Master's throat. He is a sturdily built man; his fingers are on the thick side.
  12309. 6Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to the doctor: Those who do like this, like this (that is, wrestle): your fingers are like theirs. Mahendra Sarkar had exami…
  12310. 7Dr. Rakhal: Sir, I am examining; it won't hurt you at all.
  12311. 8When the doctor has made his prescription, Sri Ramakrishna is talking again.
  12312. 9Why Is Sri Ramakrishna Ill?
  12313. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Well, people say, if he is so (so holy)—then why does illness come?
  12314. 11Tarak: Bhagavan Das Babaji had lain in bed with illness for many days.
  12315. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Madhu the doctor, at sixty years of age, will carry rice to his kept woman's lodging; and yet he himself has no illness.
  12316. 13The Goswami: Sir, this illness of yours is for others' sake; you have to take on yourself the offences of those who come to you; it is through taking…
  12317. 14A devotee: If you say to the Mother, Mother, cure this illness, then it gets well quickly.
  12318. 15The Attitude of the Served and the Servant Is Less—I Am Not Finding the 'I'
  12319. 16Sri Ramakrishna: I cannot speak of curing illness; and besides, lately the attitude of the served and the servant is falling away. At times I say, 'Mo…
  12320. 17The Goswami has been brought for the kirtan. A devotee asks, 'Will there be kirtan?' Sri Ramakrishna is unwell, and if there is kirtan, an intoxicatio…
  12321. 18Sri Ramakrishna is saying, "Let there be a little. I go into bhava, they say, and so there is fear. When bhava comes, it goes and strikes that spot in…
  12322. 19As he listened and listened to the kirtan, the Master could not hold back his bhava; he rose to his feet and, with the devotees, began to dance.
  12323. 20Dr. Rakhal saw it all; his hired carriage was waiting. He and M. rose; they were to return to Calcutta. Both of them bowed down before Sri Ramakrishna…
  12324. 21Sri Ramakrishna, affectionately, to M.: Have you eaten?
  12325. 1Instruction to M. in the Knowledge of the Self: 'The Body Is a Mere Shell'
  12326. 2Thursday the twenty-fourth of September, the day of the full moon. It is night, and Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the small cot in his room. The illne…
  12327. 3Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: At times I think the body is just a shell; there is nothing else but that Indivisible (Satchidananda).
  12328. 4"When ecstasy comes over me, the illness in the throat lies off to one side. That bhava is coming on now, bit by bit, and laughter is rising in me."
  12329. 5Dwija's sister and younger grandmother have heard of the Master's illness and have come to see him; they bow down and sit at one side of the room. Loo…
  12330. 6M.: Sir, that one has two strings.
  12331. 7Sri Ramakrishna: For one thing, his father is against it; what will everybody say? For him, calling (on God) in secret is the best way.
  12332. 8In Sri Ramakrishna's room there was one spare picture of Gaur and Nitai, hanging on the wall: a picture of Gaur and Nitai with all their companions, s…
  12333. 9Ramlal, to Sri Ramakrishna: In that case, it is to him (M.) that I give the picture.
  12334. 10Sri Ramakrishna: Very well; that is good.
  12335. 11Sri Ramakrishna and Harish's Service
  12336. 12For some days the Master has been taking Pratap's medicine. Deep in the night he has got up; he feels restless and uneasy. Harish, who attends on him,…
  12337. 1Section Twenty
  12338. 2With the Devotees on the Day of the Holy Vijaya Dashami
  12339. 3Chapter One
  12340. 4Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the House at Shyampukur
  12341. 5The holy Vijaya Dashami! The eighteenth of October, 1885. Sri Ramakrishna is in the house at Shyampukur. His body is unwell—he has come to Calcutta fo…
  12342. 6Surendra's Bhakti—"May the Mother Dwell in the Heart"
  12343. 7A winter morning, eight o'clock. The Master is unwell and is sitting on his bed. But like a boy of five, he knows nothing but the Mother. Surendra cam…
  12344. 8Surendra: I ran away from home and came here.
  12345. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What of that? May the Mother dwell in the heart!
  12346. 10Surendra began to say many things to the Supreme Goddess, crying "Mother, Mother."
  12347. 11As the Master watches Surendra, his tears are flowing. Looking towards M., he is saying in a voice choked with feeling, What bhakti! Ah, what bhakti h…
  12348. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Yesterday, at seven or half past seven, I saw in bhava your worship hall. The image was there, and I saw that all of it was full of l…
  12349. 13Surendra: I was then calling "Mother, Mother" in the worship hall; the elder brothers had left and gone upstairs. It came into my mind that the Mother…
  12350. 14Sri Ramakrishna and the Bhagavad Gita
  12351. 15It is about to strike eleven. The Master had his meal. Mani is pouring water on his hands for rinsing his mouth.
  12352. 16Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Rakhal has fallen ill from eating chick-pea dal. It is good to take sattvic food. Haven't you looked at the Gita? Don't you…
  12353. 17Mani: Yes, sir, it speaks of temperate eating. Sattvic food, rajasic food, tamasic food. And again sattvic kindness, rajasic kindness, tamasic kindnes…
  12354. 18Sri Ramakrishna: Have you a Gita?
  12355. 19Mani: Yes, sir, I have.
  12356. 20Sri Ramakrishna: The essence of all the scriptures is in it.
  12357. 21Mani: Yes, sir, it speaks of seeing God in many ways; as you say, going to Him by many paths—knowledge, bhakti, work, meditation.
  12358. 22Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what karmayoga means? To offer to God the fruit of all work.
  12359. 23Mani: Yes, sir, I have seen it; it is in there. And it says that work can be done in three ways.
  12360. 24Sri Ramakrishna: What are the ways?
  12361. 25Mani: The first—for the sake of knowledge. The second—to teach people. The third—by one's nature.
  12362. 26The Master, having rinsed his mouth, is chewing betel! From his own mouth he gave Mani betel as prasad.
  12363. 27Chapter Two
  12364. 28Sri Ramakrishna, Sir Humphrey Davy and the Doctrine of the Avatar
  12365. 29The Master is talking with M. about Doctor Sarkar. The day before, M. had gone to the doctor with news of the Master.
  12366. 30Sri Ramakrishna: What did you two talk about?
  12367. 31M.: The doctor's room has many books. I sat there reading one of them. Then, having read it, I began to read the passages out to the doctor. It was a…
  12368. 32Sri Ramakrishna: Is that so? What did you say?
  12369. 33M.: There is a passage: unless God's word comes through a human being, men cannot understand it (Divine Truth must be made human Truth to be appreciat…
  12370. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, these are fine words!
  12371. 35M.: The Englishman has given an illustration: one cannot look at the sun, but where the sun's light falls (Reflected rays), that one can look at.
  12372. 36Sri Ramakrishna: Fine words. Is there anything more?
  12373. 37M.: In another place it said, true knowledge is faith.
  12374. 38Sri Ramakrishna: That is very good indeed. Once faith comes, everything is done.
  12375. 39M.: And the Englishman had dreamt of the gods and goddesses of the Romans.
  12376. 40Sri Ramakrishna: Such books have been written? He alone (God) is working there. Did you talk of anything else?
  12377. 41Sri Ramakrishna and "Doing Good to the World," or Karmayoga
  12378. 42M.: They say, We shall benefit the world. So I spoke of your words.
  12379. 43Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What did I say?
  12380. 44M.: What you said to Sambhu Mallick. He had said to you, 'I wish to spend money and set up a number of hospitals, dispensaries, schools and the like;…
  12381. 45Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, there is a class apart, those who come to do work. And what else?
  12382. 46M.: I said, if seeing Kali is the aim, what will come of merely giving alms to the beggars on the road? Rather, see Kali once, by whatever means—after…
  12383. 47Sri Ramakrishna: Did you talk of anything else?
  12384. 48Sri Ramakrishna's Devotees and the Conquest of Lust
  12385. 49M.: The talk was that, of those who come to you, many have conquered lust. The doctor then said, 'Lust and all that has left me too, do you know?' I s…
  12386. 50Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What had I said?
  12387. 51M.: You had said to Girish Ghosh, 'The doctor has not been able to go beyond you.' That talk about the Avatar.
  12388. 52Sri Ramakrishna: You must tell him (the doctor) about the Avatar. The Avatar—He who brings men across. There are ten Avatars, there are twenty-four Av…
  12389. 53Giving up Drink Little by Little, Then Altogether
  12390. 54M.: He keeps close track of Girish Ghosh. He keeps asking, Has Girish Ghosh given up drink altogether? He has a sharp eye on him.
  12391. 55Sri Ramakrishna: Did you tell Girish Ghosh that?
  12392. 56M.: Yes, sir, I told him. And that he should give up drink altogether.
  12393. 57Sri Ramakrishna: What did he say?
  12394. 58M.: He said, Since you are all saying it, I accept it as the Master's word—but I shall not say anything with force any more.
  12395. 59Sri Ramakrishna, joyfully: Kalipada has said that he has given it all up completely.
  12396. 60Chapter Three
  12397. 61The Union of the Nitya and the Lila
  12398. 62Identity of the Absolute or the Universal Ego and the Phenomenal World
  12399. 63It is afternoon; the doctor has come. Amrita (the doctor's son) and Hem have come with the doctor. Narendra and other devotees are also present. The M…
  12400. 64Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: Your son does not accept the Avatar. That is fine. What if he does not accept it?
  12401. 65"Your son is a fine boy. How could he not be? Does a Bombay mango tree bear sour mangoes? What faith he has in God! He whose mind is on God, he indeed…
  12402. 66"God; and all these jivas and the world, His glory. To accept this is enough. Like a rich man and his garden.
  12403. 67"So it is: ten Avatars—twenty-four Avatars—and again countless Avatars. Wherever His special power is manifest, there is an Avatar! That is my view.
  12404. 68"There is another thing: all that you see, He has become all this. Like a bel-fruit—seeds, shell, flesh, the three together make one. He whose Nitya i…
  12405. 69"So long as the I-sense remains, there is no way to go beyond the Lila. Saying 'Not this, not this,' one can reach the Nitya through the yoga of medit…
  12406. 70Doctor: True.
  12407. 71Sri Ramakrishna: Kacha is in nirvikalpa samadhi. As the samadhi is breaking, someone asked him, What are you seeing now? Kacha said, I see that the wo…
  12408. 72"Do you know what it is?—having seen the Nitya and the Lila, to live in the attitude of a servant. Hanuman had the vision of God with form and without…
  12409. 73Mani, to himself: The Nitya and the Lila must both be accepted. Ever since the Vedanta went to Germany, some of the European scholars hold this view.…
  12410. 74Chapter Four
  12411. 75Sri Ramakrishna and the Doctrine of the Avatar
  12412. 76Reconciliation of free Will and Predestination
  12413. 77The doctor is saying that God has created us, and that the soul (Soul) of every one of us will make infinite progress. He will not accept that one man…
  12414. 78Doctor: 'Infinite Progress! If that were not so, then what would be the use of living five years, seven years more! I would put a rope round my neck!
  12415. 79"An Avatar, indeed! Am I to fall at the feet of a man who passes stool and urine! Yes, but Reflection of God's light (the light of God shining forth i…
  12416. 80Girish, smiling: You have not seen God's Light—
  12417. 81The doctor hesitates a little before answering. A friend who was sitting near him said something softly.
  12418. 82Doctor: You too have seen nothing but the reflection.
  12419. 83Girish: I see it! I see the Light! That Sri Krishna is the Avatar I shall prove (pramana)—or else I shall cut off my tongue.
  12420. 84Only the Delirious Patient Argues—In Full Knowledge Argument Stops
  12421. 85Sri Ramakrishna: All this talk that is going on, it is nothing.
  12422. 86"All this is a delirious patient's fancy. A patient in delirium said—I'll drink a jar of water, I'll eat a pot of rice! The physician said, All right,…
  12423. 87"So long as the ghee is unboiled, the bubbling is heard. When it is done, no sound remains. As a man's mind is, so he sees God. In rich men's houses I…
  12424. 88"Lakshmana said, Rama, that Vasishthadeva himself—and yet he mourns as a bereaved father! Rama said, Brother, one who possesses knowledge possesses ig…
  12425. 89"When a thorn pricks the foot, one has to get another thorn and bring it. With it that thorn has to be taken out. After it is taken out, one throws bo…
  12426. 90"Full knowledge has its signs. Argument comes to a stop. As I said, the ghee bubbles only so long as it is unboiled."
  12427. 91Doctor: Where does full knowledge remain? Everything is God! Then why are you playing the Paramahamsa? And why do these people come and serve you? Why…
  12428. 92Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Water still is water, water swaying and rocking is water, water in waves is water.
  12429. 93Voice of God or Conscience—the Mahut Narayana
  12430. 94"One more thing. Why shouldn't I listen to the mahut Narayana's word as well? A guru had told his disciple, All is Narayana. A mad elephant was coming…
  12431. 95Doctor: Let me say one more thing; then why do you say, Cure this?
  12432. 96Sri Ramakrishna: So long as the I-pot remains, this is how it goes. Think of a great ocean—full below and above. In it there is a pot. Inside and outs…
  12433. 97Who Am I?
  12434. 98Doctor: Then this 'I' you speak of, what are these things? Their meaning has to be given. Is He playing tricks with us?
  12435. 99Girish: Sir, how do you know it is not a trick?
  12436. 100Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: He Himself has kept this 'I'. His play—His lila! A king had four sons. They were the king's sons.—But they are at play—one h…
  12437. 101To the doctor: "Listen! If you have the vision of the Self, then you will have to accept all this. When He is seen, all doubts go."
  12438. 102Sonship and the Father—Jnanayoga and Sri Ramakrishna
  12439. 103Doctor: Where do all doubts go?
  12440. 104Sri Ramakrishna: Hear this much from me. After that, if you want to hear anything more, speak to Him by yourself, quite alone. Ask Him why He has made…
  12441. 105"The son can give a beggar one measure of rice. If the train fare has to be given, then the master of the house has to be told." The doctor sits silen…
  12442. 106"Well, you love reasoning. I shall reason a little; listen. In the view of the jnani there is no Avatar. Krishna said to Arjuna—You call me Avatar, Av…
  12443. 107"Kabir Das said of Sri Krishna, You danced the monkey dance to the clapping of the gopis!
  12444. 108"The farther you go forward, the fewer of God's upadhis you will see! The devotee at first had the vision of the Ten-armed One. Going farther on, he s…
  12445. 109"Listen to a little Vedantic reasoning. A man had come to show a king some magic. When he had stepped aside a little, the king saw a horseman coming.…
  12446. 110Doctor: I have no objection to this.
  12447. 111The World (Samsara) and the Scare-Crow
  12448. 112Sri Ramakrishna: But this illusion does not go easily. It stays even after knowledge. A man has seen a tiger in a dream; the dream is broken, and yet…
  12449. 113"Thieves came to steal from a field. A straw figure had been made in the shape of a man and set there—to frighten them. The thieves could not get in b…
  12450. 114Doctor: These are all fine words.
  12451. 115Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes! What sort of words?
  12452. 116Doctor: Fine.
  12453. 117Sri Ramakrishna: Give me a 'Thank you.'
  12454. 118Doctor: Don't you understand, how I feel in my heart? And how much trouble I take to come here and see you.
  12455. 119Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Oh no, say something for the sake of the foolish. Vibhishana did not want to be king of Lanka—he said, Rama, I have found Yo…
  12456. 120Doctor: Where are such fools here?
  12457. 121Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Oh no, there are conchs here, and there are snails and periwinkles too." Everyone laughed.
  12458. 122Chapter Five
  12459. 123Purusha and Prakriti—Fitness of the Hearer
  12460. 124The doctor gave two Globules of medicine for the Master, saying, I have given these two pills—Purusha and Prakriti. Everyone laughed.
  12461. 125Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes, they do stay together. Haven't you seen pigeons? They cannot stay apart. Where Purusha is, there is Prakriti; where Pra…
  12462. 126Today is Vijaya. The Master asked the doctor to take some sweets. The devotees are bringing sweets for him.
  12463. 127Doctor, while eating: I am saying 'Thank you' for the food. Not for the teaching you gave! Why should I say that 'Thank you' with my mouth?
  12464. 128Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "To keep the mind on Him. What more shall I say? And to meditate, a little at a time." He points to the younger Naren. "Look…
  12465. 129Doctor: Tell them all to these people.
  12466. 130Sri Ramakrishna: "Each according to what his stomach can bear. Can everybody take those things? What I told you, that is one thing. A mother has broug…
  12467. 131The doctor left. Today is Vijaya. All the devotees, prostrating fully before Sri Ramakrishna, took the dust of his feet. After that they began to embr…
  12468. 132Sri Ramakrishna: Nothing much more has to be said to the doctor.
  12469. 133"When the cutting of the tree is nearly done, the man who is cutting steps a little aside. A while later the tree falls of its own accord."
  12470. 134The younger Naren, smiling: Everything is Principle!
  12471. 135Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: The doctor has changed a lot, hasn't he?
  12472. 136M.: Yes, sir. On coming here he becomes bewildered. He does not even raise the question of what medicine has to be given. Only when we remind him does…
  12473. 137In the sitting room some of the devotees were singing.
  12474. 138When they had come back to the room where the Master is, the Master is saying—"You were singing songs—why doesn't the rhythm come right? There was som…
  12475. 139A young relative of the younger Naren has come. Very well dressed, and spectacles on his eyes. The Master is talking with the younger Naren.
  12476. 140Sri Ramakrishna: "Look, a young fellow was walking along this road, in a pleated shirt. The way he walks! He opens his chadar just over the spot where…
  12477. 141"The peacock shows off its plumage. But the feet are very dirty!" Everyone laughed. "The camel is very ugly—all of it is ugly."
  12478. 142Naren's relative: But its behaviour is good.
  12479. 143Sri Ramakrishna: Good. But it eats thorny grass—the blood streams from its mouth, and still it will eat it! The worldly man: this child dies, and yet…
  12480. 1Part One, Section Fifteen
  12481. 2Sri Ramakrishna's Joy and Conversation at Shyampukur with Ishan, Doctor Sarkar, Girish and Other Devotees
  12482. 3Chapter One
  12483. 4On the Householder's Life
  12484. 5It is the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Aswin. The great festival of the worship of Mahamaya, the three days of the Saptami, the Ashtami a…
  12485. 6Today is Thursday, the twenty-second of October, 1885. In a two-storeyed house at Shyampukur a bed has been made in a room on the upper floor, and Sri…
  12486. 7It is about seven o'clock in the evening. Outside there is moonlight: the full moon, lord of the night, seems to be pouring nectar on every side. Insi…
  12487. 8The Unattached Householder. The Way to Become Unattached
  12488. 9"Blessed is the man of the world who lives his worldly life keeping devotion at the lotus feet of God; he is a hero. It is like someone with a load of…
  12489. 10"But to live unattached in the world, some spiritual practice is needed. One must live in solitude for some days, whether for a year, or for six month…
  12490. 11"After gaining devotion one can live in the world. It is like rubbing oil on your hands before you break open a jackfruit; then the sticky juice does…
  12491. 12"The Brahmos said to me, 'Sir, we are like King Janaka. Like him we shall live in the world, unattached.' I said: To live in the world unattached is v…
  12492. 13"Because Janaka was unattached, one of his names is Videha, that is, he had no body-consciousness in the body. He lived in the world, and yet went abo…
  12493. 14"Janaka was a mighty hero. He used to wield two swords: one was knowledge, the other was work.
  12494. 15Knowledge in the Householder's Stage and Knowledge in the Monk's Stage
  12495. 16"If you ask whether there is any difference between a jnani in the householder's stage and a jnani in the monk's stage, the answer is that both are on…
  12496. 17"If you churn out the butter and keep it in a new pot, there is no chance of its spoiling. If you keep it in a buttermilk pot, there is some doubt." E…
  12497. 18"When rice is parched, a few grains pop out of the pan, crackling. Those are like mallika flowers, without a single stain on them! The grains that sta…
  12498. 19"A bhairavi once came to King Janaka's court. Seeing a woman, King Janaka bent his face down and lowered his eyes. Seeing that, the bhairavi said, 'O…
  12499. 20"However that may be, though there may be a stain on the body of the jnani in the world, that stain does him no harm. There are dark spots on the moon…
  12500. 21Work after Knowledge, for the Good of the World
  12501. 22"Some, after gaining knowledge, work to teach people, like Janaka, Narada and others. To teach people one must have power. The rishis were busy each w…
  12502. 23"When a worthless log goes floating along, if a single bird perches on it, it sinks; but when a stout log goes floating along, cows, men, even elephan…
  12503. 24"Teachers like Narada are like the stout log, like the steamboat.
  12504. 25"Some eat and then wipe their mouths with a towel and sit there, for fear someone might find out!" Everyone laughed. "Others again, when they get a ma…
  12505. 26"For the good of all, teachers like Narada kept devotion even after gaining knowledge.
  12506. 27Chapter Two
  12507. 28On the Religion of the Age. The Path of Knowledge and the Path of Devotion
  12508. 29Doctor: Through knowledge a man is struck dumb, his eyes close, and tears come to his eyes. Then devotion becomes necessary.
  12509. 30Sri Ramakrishna: "Devotion is a woman, so she can go right into the inner apartments. Knowledge goes only as far as the outer rooms." Everyone laughed…
  12510. 31Doctor: But not just anyone is let into the inner apartments; harlots cannot get in. Knowledge is needed.
  12511. 32Sri Ramakrishna: He does not know the right path, but he has devotion to God and a desire to know Him: such a man attains God by the strength of devot…
  12512. 33Doctor: But he did lose his way!
  12513. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, yes, that does happen, but in the end he reaches it.
  12514. 35Someone asked whether God is with form or without form.
  12515. 36Sri Ramakrishna: He is with form, and again formless. A sannyasi once went to see Jagannath. Having seen Jagannath, a doubt arose in him whether God i…
  12516. 37"But this is very hard to grasp. How can He who is formless be with form as well? This doubt rises in the mind. And again, if He has form, why so many…
  12517. 38Doctor: He who has made form is with form. Again, He has made mind, so He is formless. He can be everything.
  12518. 39Sri Ramakrishna: "Unless one attains God, these things cannot be understood. For the sake of the spiritual seeker He shows Himself in many moods and m…
  12519. 40"A man went out to relieve himself and saw on a tree a beautiful creature. In time he said to another, 'Brother! On such-and-such a tree I saw a red c…
  12520. 41"The man who thinks of God always and ever, he alone can know: what is His real nature? That man alone knows that God shows Himself in many forms, sho…
  12521. 42"He is with form, He is formless. Do you know what it is like? Like the ocean of Satchidananda. It has no shore, no bound. In the cold of devotion the…
  12522. 43Doctor: When the sun rises the ice melts and becomes water; and do you know, the water then becomes formless vapour?
  12523. 44Sri Ramakrishna: That is, after the discrimination 'Brahman is real, the world is unreal', when samadhi comes, form and all fly away. Then God is no l…
  12524. 45"That is why it is said, devotion is the moon, knowledge the sun. I have heard that far in the north and in the south there are seas so cold that the…
  12525. 46Doctor: On the path of devotion a man gets stuck.
  12526. 47Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, so he does, but no harm comes of it; it is the water of that Ocean of Satchidananda that has frozen into ice. If you want to rea…
  12527. 48The Unripe I and the Ripe I. The Devotee's I. The Child's I
  12528. 49"When samadhi comes at the end of reasoning on knowledge, there is no 'I' or anything of the kind left. But samadhi is very hard to attain. The 'I' wi…
  12529. 50"The cow cries Hamba, hamba (I, I), and that is why she suffers so much. All day long she has to pull the plough, summer or rains. Or else the butcher…
  12530. 51"When the jiva says, 'Not I', 'Not I', 'Not I'; I am no one, O Lord! You are the doer, I the servant, You the Master—then there is release; then, and…
  12531. 52Doctor: "But one has to fall into the carder's hands." Everyone laughed.
  12532. 53Sri Ramakrishna: "If the 'I' will by no means go, then stay, you rascal, as the 'servant I'." Everyone laughed.
  12533. 54"After samadhi some keep an 'I'—the servant I, the devotee's I. Sankaracharya kept the 'I of knowledge' for the teaching of men. The 'servant I', the…
  12534. 55"Do you know what the 'unripe I' is? 'I'm the doer, I'm the son of so great a man, I'm learned, I'm rich; and he dares to say such a thing to me!'—all…
  12535. 56"When God is attained, one gets the nature of a child of five. The 'child's I', and the 'ripe I'. A child is under the sway of no guna. Beyond the thr…
  12536. 57"If you say to the boy, 'What a nice cloth! Whose cloth is it?' he says, 'It's my cloth, my father gave it to me! If you say, 'Be a good boy, won't yo…
  12537. 58"Then again there is the 'old man's I'." The doctor laughed. "The old man has many bonds: caste, pride, shame, hatred, fear; worldly cleverness, sharp…
  12538. 59Who Do Not Attain Knowledge
  12539. 60Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: Four or five do not attain knowledge. He who is proud of his learning, he who is proud of his scholarship, he who is p…
  12540. 61The Three Gunas. God Is Attained through Sattva. The Way to Control the Senses
  12541. 62"The nature of tamas is pride. Pride comes from ignorance, from tamas.
  12542. 63"The Purana says that Ravana had rajas, Kumbhakarna tamas, Vibhishana sattva. That is why Vibhishana attained Ramachandra. Another mark of tamas is an…
  12543. 64"Then again, another mark of tamas is lust. Pathuriaghata's Girindra Ghosh once said, these enemies, lust, anger and the rest, will not go; so turn th…
  12544. 65Doctor: To control the senses is very hard. Put blinkers on either side of the horse's eyes. Some horses' eyes have to be closed altogether.
  12545. 66Sri Ramakrishna: If once His grace comes, if once one attains the vision of God, if once one comes face to face with the Atman, then there is no more…
  12546. 67"Great souls who are ever-perfect, like Narada and Prahlada, need not go to such lengths putting blinkers on either side of their eyes. The child who…
  12547. 68Doctor: But it is not good for the father to hold the son's hand.
  12548. 69Sri Ramakrishna: It is not that. Great souls have the nature of a child. Before God they are always children. They have no pride. All their power is G…
  12549. 70The Path of Reasoning and the Path of Joy; Jnanayoga and Bhaktiyoga
  12550. 71Doctor: Unless you first put blinkers on either side of the horse's eyes, does the horse want to go forward? Unless the enemies are brought under cont…
  12551. 72Sri Ramakrishna: What you are saying is called the path of reasoning—it is called jnanayoga. By that path too God can be attained. The jnanis say that…
  12552. 73"By the path of devotion too He can be attained. If once devotion comes to the lotus feet of God, if one comes to love singing His name and glories, t…
  12553. 74"If someone has lost a son, can he quarrel with people that day, or go to a feast and eat? Can he go about showing his pride before people, or enjoy h…
  12554. 75"If once the moth sees the light, will it stay in the dark any longer?
  12555. 76Doctor, smiling: Then let it burn to death; even that it accepts!
  12556. 77Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, no! The devotee does not burn to death like the moth. The light the devotee sees and runs towards is the light of a gem. The ligh…
  12557. 78Jnanayoga Is Very Hard
  12558. 79"By the path of reasoning, the path of jnanayoga, He can be attained. But this path is very hard. I am not the body, not the mind, not the intellect;…
  12559. 80Knowledge from Books, or Scholarship. The Master's Way of Teaching
  12560. 81"Many think that without reading books, it seems, there can be no knowledge, no learning. But to hear is better than to read, and to see better than t…
  12561. 82"Again, those who are themselves playing chess do not see the moves so well; but those who are not playing and call out the moves from the side, their…
  12562. 83Doctor, to the devotees: If he (the Paramahamsa) had read books, he would not have had so much knowledge. Faraday communed with Nature: Faraday used t…
  12563. 84Knowledge Given by God (Divine Wisdom and Book Learning)
  12564. 85Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: When I used to fall on the ground in the Panchavati and call on the Mother, I said to the Mother, Mother! Show me what…
  12565. 86"Ah! What a state I went through! Sleep was gone!" Saying this, the Paramahamsa began to sing:
  12566. 87Song: My sleep is broken; shall I sleep again? In yoga and sacrifice I stay awake! Now, Mother, I have given You the sleep of yoga and put sleep itsel…
  12567. 88"I haven't read any books or anything, but look, because I take the Mother's name everyone respects me. Sambhu Mallick said to me, No shield, no sword…
  12568. 89The talk turned to the performance of Sri Girishchandra Ghosh's Life of Buddha. He had invited the doctor and shown him that play. The doctor had been…
  12569. 90Doctor, to Girish: You are a very wicked man! Am I to go to the theatre every day?
  12570. 91Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What is he saying? I can't make it out.
  12571. 92M.: He liked the theatre very much.
  12572. 93Chapter Three
  12573. 94On the Avatar. The Avatar and the Jiva
  12574. 95Sri Ramakrishna, to Ishan: Won't you say something? This man (the doctor) does not accept the avatar.
  12575. 96Ishan: Sir, what more shall I argue? I no longer care for argument.
  12576. 97Sri Ramakrishna, annoyed: Why? Won't you speak what is right?
  12577. 98Ishan, to the doctor: It is because of pride that our faith is small. Kakabhushandi at first did not accept Ramachandra as an avatar! At last, when he…
  12578. 99The Small Understanding of the Jiva. Limited Powers of the Conditioned
  12579. 100Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: That is the thing that is hard to grasp: He alone is Swarat, He alone is Virat. He whose is the Eternal, His too is th…
  12580. 101"That is why one has to believe the words of the holy men, the great souls, who have attained God. Holy men live taken up with the thought of God, as…
  12581. 102Doctor: As much of it as is good I have believed. Once one gives oneself up, it is all over; no trouble is left. But how can I call Rama an avatar? Fi…
  12582. 103Girish Ghosh: Sir, this is a thing God alone can do.
  12583. 104Doctor: Then look at the casting off of Sita.
  12584. 105Girish: Sir, this too God alone can do; man cannot.
  12585. 106Science, or the Words of Great Souls?
  12586. 107Ishan, to the doctor: Why do you not accept the avatar? Just now you said, He who has made form is with form, He who has made mind is formless. Just n…
  12587. 108Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "But that God can become an avatar is not in his Science (the English science)! So how can he believe it?" Everyone laughed…
  12588. 109"Listen to a story. A man came and said, I say! I've just seen, over in that neighbourhood, So-and-so's house has come crashing down. The man he said…
  12589. 110Girish, to the doctor: You will have to accept your Sri Krishna as God. I will not let you take Him for a man. You will have to say Demon or God (eith…
  12590. 111Guilelessness and Faith in God
  12591. 112Sri Ramakrishna: Unless one is guileless, faith in God does not come quickly. God is very far from worldly understanding. Where there is worldly under…
  12592. 113Girish, to the doctor: Sir, what do you say? Does a crooked man gain knowledge?
  12593. 114Doctor: Say Rama! Can that ever be!
  12594. 115Sri Ramakrishna: "What a guileless man Keshab Sen was! One day he came here (to Rasmani's Kali temple). He saw the guest-house, and at four in the aft…
  12595. 116"Unless one has faith like a child's, God cannot be attained. The mother has said, 'That is your elder brother,' and at once the child believes that h…
  12596. 117Doctor, to the devotees: "But it is not good for a cow to give a great deal of milk by eating whatever comes. They used to give one of my cows whateve…
  12597. 118"You cannot tell what comes from what. In the house of the Babus at Pakpara a seven-month-old girl had fallen ill—a ghungri cough, Whooping cough—and…
  12598. 119Sri Ramakrishna: "What is he saying! My carriage went under the tamarind tree, so I have got acidity!" The doctor and everyone laughed.
  12599. 120Doctor, laughing: "A ship's captain had a bad headache. So the doctors consulted together and stuck a belestara, a blister, on the side of the ship."…
  12600. 121The Company of Holy Men and the Giving Up of Pleasure and Luxury
  12601. 122Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: The company of holy men is needed always. The disease is always there. One must do as the holy men say. What good is i…
  12602. 123Doctor: It is the diet that cures.
  12603. 124Sri Ramakrishna: Physicians are of three kinds: the best physician, the middling physician, the lowest physician. The physician who comes, presses the…
  12604. 125Doctor: Then again there are medicines for which the knee need not be put on the chest. Homoeopathic, for instance.
  12605. 126Sri Ramakrishna: If the best physician puts his knee on the chest, there is nothing to fear.
  12606. 127"Like physicians, teachers too are of three kinds. He who gives religious instruction and takes no further news of his disciples is the lowest teacher…
  12607. 128Women and the Sannyasi. The Hard Rules of the Sannyasi
  12608. 129Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: For the sannyasi it is the giving up of woman and gold. The sannyasi will not look even at a woman's picture. Do you k…
  12609. 130"But this does not apply to you—it is for the sannyasi. You will live with women as unattached as you can. Now and then you will go into solitude and…
  12610. 131Girish, smiling, to the doctor: You have been here three or four hours. Why, aren't you going to treat your patients?
  12611. 132Doctor: "Doctoring and patients, indeed! With this Paramahamsa that has come about, I have lost everything!" Everyone laughed.
  12612. 133Sri Ramakrishna: "Look, there is a river called the Karmanasa. To dive into that river is a great danger. One's karma is destroyed—that man can do no…
  12613. 134Doctor, to M., Girish and the other devotees: Look, I remain yours. Not if you think of it for the sake of the illness! But if you count me as one of…
  12614. 135Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: There is a thing called ahetuki bhakti, devotion without a motive. If this comes, then that is very good! Prahlada had…
  12615. 136Doctor: Yes, I have seen people bowing down at Kalitala, and inside them nothing but desires—get me a job, cure my illness—all that.
  12616. 137Doctor, to Sri Ramakrishna: "With the illness you have, there is to be no talking with people. But when I come, you will talk only with me." Everyone…
  12617. 138Sri Ramakrishna: Cure this illness; I cannot sing His name and glories.
  12618. 139Doctor: Meditation is enough.
  12619. 140Sri Ramakrishna: What a thing to say! Why should I be one-sided? I eat fish five ways: sometimes in a light stew, sometimes in a hot curry, in a sour…
  12620. 141Doctor: I am not one-sided either.
  12621. 142Is There Any Fault in Not Accepting the Avatar?
  12622. 143Sri Ramakrishna: Your son Amrita does not accept the avatar. What harm is there in that? One can attain God believing Him to be formless, and again on…
  12623. 144Eat a sugar-candy loaf held straight, or eat it held crosswise, it will taste sweet. Your son Amrita is a fine boy.
  12624. 145Doctor: He is your disciple.
  12625. 146Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to the doctor: I have no rascal of a disciple at all! I am everyone's disciple. All are children of God, all are servants of…
  12626. 147'Uncle Moon is everybody's uncle.' Everyone in the gathering was full of joy and laughter.
  12627. 1Section Twenty-Seven
  12628. 2With Dr. Sarkar, Narendra, Sashi, Sarat, M., Girish and Other Devotees in the House at Syampukur
  12629. 3Chapter One
  12630. 4Earlier Days—In the State of Madness, behind the Kuthi, as if the Fire of a Homa Burned in His Body! Pandit Padmalochan's Faith and His Death
  12631. 5Sri Ramakrishna is living with the devotees in the house at Syampukur, for his treatment. Today is the Kojagara full moon, a Friday. The twenty-third…
  12632. 6M. is putting the socks on his feet for him.
  12633. 7Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "Won't it do to cut up the comforter and wear it on the feet? It is nice and warm." M. is laughing.
  12634. 8Last night, Thursday night, there was a great deal of talk with Dr. Sarkar. All this has been published in the first part of the Sri Sri Kathamrita. R…
  12635. 9The Master had said yesterday: "The jivas are burning in the threefold affliction, and still they say they are quite well. The hand is being cut by a…
  12636. 10The younger Naren, remembering those words, says, 'Yesterday's talk about the crooked thorn was fine! Burning it up in the fire of knowledge.'
  12637. 11Sri Ramakrishna: All those states used to come upon me in very fact.
  12638. 12"Going along behind the kuthi—it was as if the fire of a homa blazed up over my body!
  12639. 13"Padmalochan had said—'I will call an assembly and tell people of your state!' But after that he died."
  12640. 14At eleven o'clock in the morning Mani has come to Dr. Sarkar's house with news of the Master.
  12641. 15The doctor, having had the news of the Master, is talking of him and him alone—he shows how eager he is to hear about him.
  12642. 16Doctor, smiling: How well I said it yesterday: to say 'tuhu, tuhu', one has to fall into the carder's hands in just that way!
  12643. 17Mani: Yes, sir. Unless one falls into the hands of such a guru, egotism does not go.
  12644. 18"And how he spoke of bhakti yesterday!—Bhakti is a woman; she can go as far as the inner apartments."
  12645. 19Doctor: Yes, that is a fine saying; but that does not mean that jnana can be given up.
  12646. 20Mani: The Paramahamsa does not say that. He accepts both, jnana and bhakti—the formless and that with form. He says that in the cold of bhakti part of…
  12647. 21"And you have seen it: he sees God so near that he is talking with Him all the time. Like a little child he says—'Mother, it hurts so much!'
  12648. 22"And what observation (seeing)! In the Museum (the house of wonders) he had seen things turned into fossil (animal-stone). At once it became a simile…
  12649. 23Doctor: Yesterday Ishan Babu kept on about the Incarnation, the Incarnation. And what is an Incarnation!—To call a man God!
  12650. 24Mani: Whatever beliefs they hold, what good will it do to interfere (to lay a hand on them)?
  12651. 25Doctor: Yes, what is the need.
  12652. 26Mani: And how he raised a laugh with that saying!—'A man went and saw that a house had fallen down, but it was not written in the newspaper. Therefore…
  12653. 27The doctor is silent—because the Master had said, 'In your science there is nothing about the Incarnation, therefore there is no Incarnation!'
  12654. 28It was midday. The doctor got into his carriage, taking Mani with him. After seeing his other patients he will at last go to see Sri Ramakrishna.
  12655. 29The other day the doctor had gone, at Girish's invitation, to see the performance of 'Buddhalila'. Sitting in the carriage he says to Mani, "It would…
  12656. 30The doctor set Mani down at the Hedua crossing.
  12657. 31Chapter Two
  12658. 32The Master's Paramahamsa State—The Vision of a Mist of Bliss on Every Side—The Vision of the Form of Bhagavati—As If She Were Saying, 'Work, Magic'
  12659. 33Three in the afternoon. One or two devotees are sitting near the Master. Impatient like a child, he asks again and again, 'When will the doctor come?'…
  12660. 34Suddenly the Master has come into a state like a child's. Holding the pillow in his lap, as if flooded with the tender love of a parent, he is feeding…
  12661. 35Mani and the others are watching in wonder.
  12662. 36After a while the bhava subsided. It was the Master's time to eat; he ate a little farina.
  12663. 37In private he is telling Mani things most secret.
  12664. 38Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani, in private: Do you know what I was seeing all this while in bhava?—A meadow three or four krosas across, on the road to Siho…
  12665. 39"A mist of bliss on every side!—From inside it there rose a boy of thirteen or fourteen; his face can be seen! Purna's form. Both of us naked!—Then th…
  12666. 40"With the running about, Purna grew thirsty. He drank water from a vessel. Having drunk, he comes to give it to me. I said, 'Brother, I can't drink yo…
  12667. 41'The Fearful Kalakamini'—Showing That All Is Magic
  12668. 42The Master is in samadhi again. After a while, coming back to the normal state, he is again talking with Mani.
  12669. 43"The state is changing again!—Taking prasad has dropped away!—True and false are becoming one!—And do you know what I was seeing? A divine form! The f…
  12670. 44"It is as if She is saying, Work! Work! Work, magic! Work!"
  12671. 45Mani is thinking on the Master's words! 'The conjurer alone is real, and all else is false.'
  12672. 46Siddhai Is Not Good—The Siddhai of the Low Order
  12673. 47Sri Ramakrishna: Well, that time I drew Purna to me, so why didn't it come about? At this, faith is waning a little!
  12674. 48Mani: All that, after all, is siddhai, occult power.
  12675. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Out-and-out siddhai!
  12676. 50Mani: That time we were coming with you by carriage from Adhar Sen's house to Dakshineswar—a bottle broke. Someone said, What harm will come of this,…
  12677. 51Sri Ramakrishna: The same with the Harir lut child!—Curing illness—all this is siddhai. Those who are of a very low order, they alone call on God for…
  12678. 52Chapter Three
  12679. 53Perfect Knowledge—The Body and the Atman Are Separate—The Nectar of His Life, Told by His Holy Lips
  12680. 54Dusk fell. Sri Ramakrishna, sitting on his bed, is thinking on the Mother and repeating Her name. Many of the devotees are sitting near him without a…
  12681. 55After a while Dr. Sarkar arrived. Many devotees have come into the room: Latu, Sashi, Sarat, the younger Naren and Paltu, Bhupati, Girish, and others.…
  12682. 56Doctor, to Sri Ramakrishna: Last night at three o'clock I was very anxious about you. It rained, I thought, they have left the doors and all open—or d…
  12683. 57Sri Ramakrishna is pleased to see the doctor's affection. And he says, You don't say so.
  12684. 58"So long as the body lasts, one has to take care of it.
  12685. 59"But I see that this is separate. If love for woman and gold goes altogether, then one can clearly understand that the body is separate and the Atman…
  12686. 60"So I can't say much to Her for the illness of the body."
  12687. 61Girish: Pandit Shashadhar had said, "In the state of samadhi you should bring your mind down upon the body—then the illness will be cured." He saw in…
  12688. 62Earlier Days—The Visit to the Museum, and the Prayer in Illness
  12689. 63Sri Ramakrishna: It was long ago—I was very ill then. I was sitting in the Kali temple—and I felt like praying to the Mother! But I couldn't quite say…
  12690. 64* Asiatic Society's Museum.
  12691. 65† Skeleton.
  12692. 66"At first Hriday had said—for I was under‡ Hriday, you see—'Ask the Mother for a little power.' Going into the Kali temple to ask for power, I saw—a w…
  12693. 67‡ Under.
  12694. 68Sri Ramtaran's Song—The Master in Bhava
  12695. 69Now Ramtaran is singing—
  12696. 70This cherished vina of mine, its garland of strings threaded with care. Whoever knows that care plays the vina, and nectar rises without end. Tie its…
  12697. 71Doctor, to Girish: These songs—are they original (new)?
  12698. 72Girish: No, Edwin Arnold's thought (a song made from the idea of Arnold Saheb).
  12699. 73First Ramtaran sings a song from the Buddhacharita.—
  12700. 74I long to be at peace, but where shall I find peace, from where I come, and where I go drifting, again and again I come, how much I weep and laugh, an…
  12701. 75As he listens to this song, the Master has gone into bhava.
  12702. 76A song: Howling, howling, howling, blow, O storm.
  12703. 77The Vision of the Indwelling Deity of the Sun
  12704. 78When this song is over, the Master says—"What have you done!—Neem broth after the payes!—
  12705. 79"The moment you sang—'Destroy the darkness,'—at once I saw the Sun!—The moment it rose, the darkness on every side was gone! And everyone is falling a…
  12706. 80Ramtaran sings again—
  12707. 811. Saviour of the lowly, Remover of sin, Bearer of sattva, rajas, tamas, the three gunas, Creator, Sustainer, Destroyer, with attributes and without,…
  12708. 822. Dharma and karma have all gone; the worship of Syama, I suppose, has not come about! I cannot hold the mind back in any way; fie, fie, what torment…
  12709. 83Hearing this song, the Master again went into bhava.
  12710. 84Who has offered red hibiscus at your feet in handfuls and handfuls?
  12711. 85Chapter Four
  12712. 86The Younger Naren and Others in Bhava—The Duty of the Sannyasi and of the Householder
  12713. 87The singing ended. Many of the devotees are in bhava. They are sitting in silence. The younger Naren is sunk in meditation. He is sitting like a log o…
  12714. 88Sri Ramakrishna, pointing to the younger Naren, to the doctor: He is very pure! Not a trace of worldly-mindedness has touched him.
  12715. 89The doctor is looking at Naren. His meditation has not yet broken.
  12716. 90Manomohan, to the doctor, smiling: Speaking of your son, he says—"If I get the son, I don't want the father."
  12717. 91Doctor: There you are!—That is just what I say, you people are carried away by the son alone! (That is, leaving God aside, you are carried away by the…
  12718. 92Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: I am not saying I don't want the father.
  12719. 93Doctor: I have understood that!—How would it do without saying one or two things like that?
  12720. 94Sri Ramakrishna: Your son is very guileless. Sambhu had said with a flushed face, 'If one calls on Him with a guileless heart, He will hear, He is bou…
  12721. 95"Watery milk has to be boiled a long time—a great deal of wood is burnt up.
  12722. 96"The boys are like new pots—the vessel is good—milk can be kept in it without a care. If you give them instruction in knowledge, their consciousness a…
  12723. 97"Into your son worldly-mindedness—woman and gold—has not entered."
  12724. 98Doctor: He lives on his father, that's why!—
  12725. 99"If he had to provide for himself, I'd see whether worldly-mindedness gets in or not!"
  12726. 100The Sannyasi and the Renunciation of Woman—The Sannyasi and the Renunciation of Gold
  12727. 101Sri Ramakrishna: "That is so, that is so. But do you know?—He is far, far from worldly-mindedness; otherwise He is within one's grasp." To Sarkar and…
  12728. 102"For the sannyasi, renunciation. They will not even look at a picture of a woman. For them a woman is like poison. They should keep at least ten cubit…
  12729. 103"Why, a sannyasi ought to live in a place where a woman's face is not seen—or is seen after a long time.
  12730. 104"Money too is poison for the sannyasi. The moment there is money by him, worry, egotism, striving for the comforts of the body, anger—all these come c…
  12731. 105Teaching for the Doctor—The Right Use of Money—For the Householder, His Own Wife
  12732. 106"You should know that money gets you dal and rice, cloth to wear—a place to live in, the service of the deity—the service of holy men and devotees.
  12733. 107"Trying to hoard is vain. With great toil the bees build the hive—and someone else comes and breaks it off and takes it away."
  12734. 108Doctor: Hoarding for whom?—Why, for a worthless son!
  12735. 109Sri Ramakrishna: A worthless son!—The wife perhaps gone bad—taking a lover! Your very own watch, your very own chain, she will give him!
  12736. 110"For you, women are not to be renounced altogether. To go to one's own wife is no fault. But once children have been born, you must live like brother…
  12737. 111"So long as there is attachment to woman and gold, there come pride of learning, pride of money, pride of high position—all these."
  12738. 112Chapter Five
  12739. 113Teaching for Dr. Sarkar—Egotism Is Not Good, the I of Knowledge Is Good—Then the Teaching of People (the Lecture) Can Be
  12740. 114Sri Ramakrishna: Unless egotism goes, knowledge cannot be attained. Water does not collect on a high mound. Into low land the water from all around co…
  12741. 115Doctor: But in the water that comes into low land from all around there is good water and bad water as well—muddy water, water foul with filth, all th…
  12742. 116Sri Ramakrishna: Only the water of the sky—fine.
  12743. 117Doctor: And the water of a high place can be given out on all sides.
  12744. 118Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: A man had obtained a mantra of power. He stood on top of a hill and shouted out—By repeating this mantra you will attain God…
  12745. 119Doctor: Yes.
  12746. 120Sri Ramakrishna: But there is one thing: when the heart grows restless for God, good water and foul water—no account is kept of all that. To know Him…
  12747. 121"On a mountain there may be low land, but on the mountain that is the rascal I it does not stay. If it is the I of knowledge, the devotee's I—only the…
  12748. 122"The water of a high place can indeed be given out on all sides. That can come from the mountain that is the I of knowledge.
  12749. 123"Unless His command comes, the teaching of people does not happen. Sankaracharya kept the 'I of knowledge' after knowledge—for the teaching of people.…
  12750. 124Earlier Days—The Samadhyayi's Lecture—The Visit to the Nandanbagan Samaj
  12751. 125"I had gone to the Nandanbagan Brahmo Samaj. After their worship, sitting on the dais, he gave a lecture.—He had written it out and brought it.—And wh…
  12752. 126"One who has not seen God—his teaching does not come out quite right. If one thing comes right, another gets muddled.
  12753. 127"The Samadhyayi gave a lecture. He says—God is beyond speech and mind—in Him there is no rasa—you worship Him with the rasa of loving devotion. See, H…
  12754. 128"Someone had said—At my uncle's house there is a cowshed full of horses. Horses in a cowshed!" Everyone laughed. "From that you have to understand the…
  12755. 129Doctor, smiling: "No cows either." Everyone laughed.
  12756. 130Those of the devotees who had gone into bhava have all come back to the normal state. The doctor is rejoicing to see the devotees.
  12757. 131He is asking M., 'Who is this' who is this' and M., pointing out the young devotees one by one—Paltu, the younger Naren, Bhupati, Sarat, Sashi, the ot…
  12758. 132Of Sri Sashi* M. says, "He will sit for the B.A. examination."—The doctor had become a little absent-minded.
  12759. 133* Sashi first saw Sri Ramakrishna in 1884.
  12760. 134Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: Look here! See what he is saying.
  12761. 135The doctor heard who Sashi was.
  12762. 136Sri Ramakrishna, pointing to M., to the doctor: He gives instruction to all the schoolboys.
  12763. 137Doctor: So I have heard.
  12764. 138Sri Ramakrishna: How wonderful, I am an unlettered fool!—And yet the learned come here; what a wonder is this? In this one has to say it is God's play…
  12765. 139Today is the Kojagara full moon. It must be about nine o'clock at night. The doctor has been sitting since six, watching all that is going on.
  12766. 140Girish, to the doctor: Well, sir, does anything like this happen to you?—I keep saying, I won't come here, I won't come here—and it is as if someone d…
  12767. 141Doctor: "I don't feel it like that! But what is in the heart, the heart alone knows." To Sri Ramakrishna: "And saying all these things is nothing eith…
  12768. 1Section Twenty-Eight
  12769. 2With Narendra, Dr. Sarkar and Other Devotees in the House at Syampukur
  12770. 3Chapter One
  12771. 4Dr. Sarkar and the Examination of All Religions (Comparative Religion)
  12772. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in the upstairs room of the Syampukur house, with Narendra, Mahimacharan, M., Dr. Sarkar and other devotees. It is about on…
  12773. 6Sri Ramakrishna: This (homoeopathic) treatment of yours is fine.
  12774. 7The doctor: In this one has to match the patient's condition against the book. As with English music—reading from the page, and singing.
  12775. 8"Where is Girish Ghosh?—Let him be, let him be; he was up all last night."
  12776. 9Sri Ramakrishna: Well, in a state of bhava it happens just like the intoxication of siddhi. What is that?
  12777. 10The doctor, to M.: The action of the nervous centre stops, and so there is numbness—meanwhile the legs totter, and all the energies go toward the brai…
  12778. 11Sri Mahima Chakravarty is speaking of the Kulakundalini power within the sushumna nerve—"Within the spinal cord the sushumna exists in subtle form—no…
  12779. 12The doctor: "Mahadeva examined man in his maturity. The Europeans have watched every stage, from embryo up to maturity! To know all of comparative his…
  12780. 13"Don't you laugh. Then again, listen to how much good comparative anatomy has done. At first the difference between the action (the working) of the pa…
  12781. 14"So what it comes to is that we ought to look at the lower animals—to look at man alone will not do.
  12782. 15"In the same way there is particular benefit in Comparative Religion!
  12783. 16"Why is it that what he here (the Paramahamsa) says strikes so deep within? He has seen all religions—Hindu, Mussulman, Christian, Sakta, Vaishnava—al…
  12784. 17M., to the doctor: He (Mahima) has read a great deal of science.
  12785. 18The doctor, smiling: What, Maxmuller's Science of Religion?
  12786. 19Mahima, to Sri Ramakrishna: Your illness—what will the doctors do? When I heard that you had fallen ill, I thought, you are swelling the doctor's prid…
  12787. 20Sri Ramakrishna: He is a very good doctor. And very learned.
  12788. 21Mahimacharan: Just so, sir: he's a ship, and all of us are dinghies.
  12789. 22The doctor humbly joins his palms.
  12790. 23Mahima: But there (in Sri Ramakrishna's presence) all are equal.
  12791. 24The Master asks Narendra to sing.
  12792. 25Narendra's songs—
  12793. 261. You alone I have made the pole star of my life.
  12794. 272. Ever drunk with pride am I, and boundless is my desire.
  12795. 283. Wondrous beyond all bounds, the world that is Your making! A treasury of beauty, this universe!
  12796. 294. Seated on the great throne, O Father of the universe, You listen to the song of the mighty world, in the measures You Yourself have made. Being but…
  12797. 305. O King of kings, show Yourself to me! A beggar for mercy am I; look on me with a glance of mercy. At Your feet I am offering up this life as a gift…
  12798. 316. Drinking the wine of Hari's sweetness, be drunk, O my mind! Rolling on the ground, weep, crying Hari, Hari!
  12799. 32Sri Ramakrishna: And 'Whatever is, is You alone!'
  12800. 33The doctor: Ah!
  12801. 34The singing came to an end. The doctor has become all but spellbound.
  12802. 35After a while the doctor, with great devotion, joins his palms and says to the Master, "Well then, I shall go now—I shall come again tomorrow."
  12803. 36Sri Ramakrishna: Do stay a little! Word has been sent to Girish Ghosh. (Pointing to Mahima) He is learned, and dances to Hari's name; there is no prid…
  12804. 37The doctor: Very good!
  12805. 38Sri Ramakrishna: And this one—
  12806. 39The doctor: Ah!
  12807. 40Mahimacharan: Unless one reads the Hindu philosophies, one has not read philosophy at all. Europe does not know the twenty-four principles of the Samk…
  12808. 41Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What three paths do you speak of?
  12809. 42Mahima: "The path of Sat—the path of knowledge. The path of Chit, of yoga. Karmayoga. So the rites of the four ashramas, and what duties belong to eac…
  12810. 43"What more shall I say? Janaka the speaker, Sukadeva the listener!"
  12811. 44The doctor took his leave.
  12812. 45In Samadhi after Dusk—Nityagopal and Narendra—'Perfection through Japa'
  12813. 46After dusk the moon has risen. Today is the day after the Kojagara full moon, Saturday, the ninth of Kartik. The Master is in samadhi. He is standing.…
  12814. 47The Master has sat down—Nityagopal is massaging his feet. Devendra, Kalipada and a good many devotees besides are sitting near him.
  12815. 48Sri Ramakrishna, to Devendra and the others: The thought has arisen that these states of Nityagopal's will pass now—all his mind will be gathered up a…
  12816. 49"Don't you see Narendra?—his whole mind is coming upon me alone!
  12817. 50Many of the devotees are taking their leave. The Master is standing. He is speaking to a devotee about japa—"Japa means calling on His name silently i…
  12818. 51Kalipada, smiling, to the devotees: This is a fine Master we have!—no japa, meditation or austerity to be done!
  12819. 52Just then the Master suddenly says, "This feels strange."
  12820. 53The Master's throat is troubling him. Devendra says, "I am not taken in by this talk any more." Devendra feels that the Master is putting on the illne…
  12821. 54The devotees took their leave. At night a few of the young devotees will stay by turns. Today M. too will stay the night.
  12822. 1Part One, Section Sixteen
  12823. 2Conversation and Joy of Sri Ramakrishna with Vijaykrishna, Narendra, M., Doctor Sarkar, Mahimacharan and Other Devotees
  12824. 3Chapter One
  12825. 4Today is Sunday, the tenth of Kartik, the second day of the dark fortnight, the twenty-fifth of October, 1885. Sri Ramakrishna is staying at the house…
  12826. 5M. is sent every day to tell the doctor how the Paramahamsa is. This morning at half past six M. bowed down and asked, "How are you, sir?" Sri Ramakri…
  12827. 6After seven o'clock M. met Doctor Sarkar and told him the whole condition. Present were the doctor's aged teacher and one or two friends. The doctor s…
  12828. 7One of the doctor's friends said to the doctor, Sir, I hear that some people call the Paramahamsa an Avatar. You see him every day; what do you feel?
  12829. 8The doctor said, as man, I have the greatest ragard for him
  12830. 9M., to the doctor's friend: Out of kindness the respected doctor sees a great deal of him.
  12831. 10Doctor: Kindness!
  12832. 11M.: Toward us; I don't mean toward the Paramahamsadeva.
  12833. 12Doctor: It isn't that, my friend! You people don't know: I am suffering an actual loss; day after day I fail to get to two or three calls. Then the ne…
  12834. 13The talk turned to Sri Mahima Chakravarty. On Saturday, when the doctor went to see the Paramahamsadeva, Chakravarty was there. Seeing the doctor, he…
  12835. 14M., to the doctor: Mahima Chakravarty formerly used to come here to you. You used to give lectures on medical science at your house, and he would come…
  12836. 15Doctor: Indeed. What tamas that man has! Did you see—I bowed to him as God's Lower Third? And within God, after all, all the gunas are there (sattva,…
  12837. 16M.: Mahima Chakravarty's belief is that the Paramahamsadeva can cure his illness himself if he wishes.
  12838. 17Doctor: Oh. Can that be? Cure his illness himself? We are doctors; we know what there is inside this cancer.—We ourselves cannot cure it.—He knows not…
  12839. 18Chapter Two
  12840. 19Sri Ramakrishna with Those Who Serve Him
  12841. 20M. asked the doctor to come and went back. After the midday meal, at three in the afternoon, he saw Sri Ramakrishna and told him everything. He said,…
  12842. 21Sri Ramakrishna: What happened?
  12843. 22M.: 'You have gone and taken on this illness to swell the pride of the wretched doctors,'—he had heard these words yesterday before he left.
  12844. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Who had said it?
  12845. 24M.: Mahima Chakravarty.
  12846. 25Sri Ramakrishna: And then?
  12847. 26M.: Well, he calls Mahima Chakravarty 'the tamasic God' (God's Lower Third). Now the doctor says that all the gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas) are in God.…
  12848. 27Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: He has read English; there is no telling him, Think of me. So he does it of his own accord.
  12849. 28M.: And he says—As man I have the greatest regard for him. This means: I do not call him an Avatar, but as a man I have all the reverence there can be…
  12850. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Was anything else said?
  12851. 30M.: I asked, "What arrangement will be made today about the illness?" The doctor said, "The arrangement for it is my head and my skull; I have to go a…
  12852. 31Chapter Three
  12853. 32In the Bliss of Divine Love with Vijay and Other Devotees
  12854. 33A little later Sri Vijaykrishna Goswami came to see the Paramahamsadeva. With him were a few Brahmo devotees. Vijaykrishna had lived many days in Dacc…
  12855. 34Mahima Chakravarty, to Vijay: Sir, you have been on pilgrimage, you have seen many lands; now tell us what you saw.
  12856. 35Vijay: What shall I say? I see that here, where I am sitting now, here is everything. All that wandering is in vain. In some places there is one anna…
  12857. 36Mahima Chakravarty: You have spoken rightly; and again it is he alone who makes one wander, he alone who makes one sit down.
  12858. 37Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: See what a state Vijay is in. His signs have all changed; it is as if he had been boiled down. I can recognize a paramah…
  12859. 38Mahima Chakravarty: Sir, has your eating grown less?
  12860. 39Vijay: Yes, I think it has. To Sri Ramakrishna: I heard of your illness and came to see you. And then from Dacca—
  12861. 40Sri Ramakrishna: What?
  12862. 41Vijay gave no answer. He remained silent for a while.
  12863. 42Vijay: Unless he lets himself be caught, he is hard to catch. Here are the sixteen annas.
  12864. 43Sri Ramakrishna: Kedar* said, I get nothing to eat anywhere else—coming here I got a bellyful.
  12865. 44M.'s footnote: Sri Kedar Chatterjee lived many days in Dacca. At the very mention of God his eyes would grow moist. A great devotee. His home was in H…
  12866. 45Mahima Chakravarty: What, a bellyful? It is overflowing!
  12867. 46Vijay, with folded hands, to Sri Ramakrishna: I have understood who you are. You need say no more!
  12868. 47Sri Ramakrishna, in bhava: If that has happened, then so it is.
  12869. 48Vijay said, I have understood. Saying this, he fell at Sri Ramakrishna's feet and held his feet to his own breast. Sri Ramakrishna was then sitting lo…
  12870. 49Seeing this ecstasy of love, this wondrous sight, some of the devotees present were weeping, some were offering hymns of praise. Each, according to th…
  12871. 50With tearful eyes Mahimacharan sang—'Behold, behold the form of Love'—and every now and then, as if he were seeing Brahman, he said,
  12872. 51"The Turiya, Satchidananda, free of duality and non-duality."
  12873. 52Navagopal was weeping. Another devotee, Bhupati, sang—
  12874. 53Song: Hail, hail, Supreme Brahman, boundless art Thou, beyond reach; higher than the highest, Thou the essence of all essence. Thou art the light of t…
  12875. 54Bhupati sang again—
  12876. 55Song. Jhinjhit—(or) Kirtan. On the waters of the ocean of Consciousness and Bliss, waves of the bliss of love. Mahabhava, the play of rasa: oh, what s…
  12877. 56After a long while the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, came back to himself.
  12878. 57The Knowledge of Brahman and 'Wondrous Counting'. 'The Need for the Avatar.
  12879. 58Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Something or other happens in the possession. Now I feel ashamed. It is as if a ghost takes hold of me. I am no longer myself.
  12880. 59"After this state, counting does not come. If I try to count, it goes 1, 7, 8, like that.
  12881. 60Narendra: That is because all is one.
  12882. 61Sri Ramakrishna: No, beyond one and two.*
  12883. 62M.'s footnote: Beyond one and two—The Absolute as distinguished from the Relative
  12884. 63Mahimacharan: Yes, sir, free of duality and non-duality.
  12885. 64Sri Ramakrishna: Calculation rots away. He is not to be reached by learning. He is beyond the scriptures—beyond the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras. I…
  12886. 65Vijay: The sandesh has been sent; that is understood.
  12887. 66Sri Ramakrishna: Taking on a human body, God descends. He is in every place, in every being, it is true; but unless He comes as the Avatar, the longin…
  12888. 67Mahima: If you want milk, what good is putting your mouth to the cow's horn? You must put your mouth to the udder! Everyone laughed.
  12889. 68Vijay: But at first the calf butts about this way and that.
  12890. 69Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: And then perhaps someone, seeing the calf doing that, puts it to the udder. Everyone laughed.
  12891. 70Chapter Four
  12892. 71In the Bliss of Divine Love with the Devotees
  12893. 72While this talk was going on, the doctor arrived to see him and took his seat. He said, Last night my sleep broke at three o'clock. I was only worryin…
  12894. 73Sri Ramakrishna: A cough has come, it aches, in the last part of the night a mouthful of water, and it is as if a thorn were pricking?
  12895. 74Doctor: I had all the news in the morning.
  12896. 75Mahimacharan was talking of his travels through India. He said that in the island of Lanka there is no 'laughing ma'. Doctor Sarkar said, That may be;…
  12897. 76The Doctor's Profession and the Master, Sri Ramakrishna
  12898. 77The talk turned to the doctor's work.
  12899. 78Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: Many people feel that a doctor's work is very high work. If someone takes no money and treats people out of compassion…
  12900. 79Doctor: If he does only that, the work is bad, it is true. To say it before you is boasting--
  12901. 80Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, if in the doctor's work good is done to others unselfishly, then it is very good.
  12902. 81"Whatever work people may do, a man of the world has great need, from time to time, of holy company. If he has devotion to God, he seeks out holy comp…
  12903. 82A Holy Man's Compassion for All Creatures
  12904. 83Doctor: And then the vulture runs away for fear of the crow. I say, why only men? It is right to serve all creatures. I often give flour to the sparro…
  12905. 84Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, that is a fine thing! Feeding creatures is a holy man's work; holy men give sugar to the ants.
  12906. 85Doctor: Won't there be singing today?
  12907. 86Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: Do sing a little.
  12908. 87Narendra sang, with the tanpura. Other instruments too began to play.
  12909. 88Song: Beautiful is Thy name, O Refuge of the lowly; it rains a stream of nectar that soothes the ear, O Delight of the soul. Thy name alone is the tre…
  12910. 89Narendra sang again.
  12911. 90Song: Make me mad, O Mother, no more need have I of knowledge and reasoning. (O Brahmamayi, make me mad, Mother). (O Mother) with that wine of Thy lov…
  12912. 91After the song, again a wondrous sight! Every one of them was mad with bhava. The pundit had cast off the pride of his learning and was standing, sayi…
  12913. 92Chapter Five
  12914. 93With the Devotees. Sri Ramakrishna and the Conquest of Anger
  12915. 94After all this, everyone took his seat again. It was now eight o'clock at night. The talk began again.
  12916. 95Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: These bhavas and the like that you saw, what does your Science say of them? Do they all seem a pretence to you?
  12917. 96Doctor, to Sri Ramakrishna: Where it is happening to so many people, it seems natural (heartfelt); it does not seem a pretence. To Narendra: When you…
  12918. 97Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor, smiling: Why, you are unshaken and immovable like Mount Sumeru. Everyone laughed. You are a deep soul. No one could de…
  12919. 98Doctor: There's no winning against you in words. Laughter.
  12920. 99By and by the talk turned to other things. Sri Ramakrishna was describing his own first states of bhava. And how lust, anger and the rest are to be br…
  12921. 100Doctor: You had fallen into bhava, and a wicked fellow jabbed you with his boots.—I have heard all that.
  12922. 101Sri Ramakrishna: You heard it from M. That was Chandra Haldar of Kalighat. He often used to come to Sejo Babu. I am lying on the ground in the dark, i…
  12923. 102Doctor: This too is God's play; by it people will learn how anger is to be brought under control, and people will learn what forgiveness is.
  12924. 103The Divine Visions of Vijay and Narendra
  12925. 104Meanwhile, before the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, there is much talk between Vijay and the devotees.
  12926. 105Vijay: Someone is with me always, at all times. Even when I am far away, he lets me know what is happening where.
  12927. 106Narendra: Like a Guardian angel.
  12928. 107Vijay: In Dacca I have seen him (the Paramahamsadeva). Touching his body.
  12929. 108Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: Then that was someone else.
  12930. 109Narendra: I too have seen him myself many times. To Vijay: So how can I say—I don't believe your words.
  12931. 1Part One, Section Seventeen
  12932. 2With Sri Ramakrishna, Girish, M., the Younger Narendra, Kali, Sarat, Rakhal, Doctor Sarkar and Other Devotees
  12933. 3Chapter One
  12934. 4The next day, the third lunar day of the dark fortnight of Aswin, Monday, the eleventh of Kartik, the twenty-sixth of October 1885. Sri Sri Paramahams…
  12935. 5It is autumn. A few days ago the autumn worship of Durga came to an end. Sri Ramakrishna's circle of disciples passed this great festival between joy…
  12936. 6So great an illness, and yet people are coming in crowds to see him: whoever comes to Sri Ramakrishna finds peace and joy. An ocean of grace that asks…
  12937. 7Drinking the nectar of Sri Ramakrishna's words, the doctor has been utterly charmed. That is why he sits on so long.
  12938. 8At ten in the morning M. is to go to the doctor with the news, and so he is talking with the Master, Sri Ramakrishna.
  12939. 9Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: The illness has become much lighter. I am very well. Well then, has the medicine done this? In that case, why don't I take tha…
  12940. 10M.: I am on my way to the doctor. I shall tell him all of it, and he will say whatever is best.
  12941. 11Sri Ramakrishna: Look, Purna hasn't come for two or three days; my heart is very restless for him.
  12942. 12M.: Kali Babu, why don't you go and call Purna?
  12943. 13Kali: I'll go right now.
  12944. 14Sri Purnachandra's age was fourteen or fifteen.
  12945. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: The doctor's son is a fine boy. Tell him to come once.
  12946. 16Chapter Two
  12947. 17M. and the Doctor in Conversation
  12948. 18M. reached the doctor's house and found him sitting with one or two friends.
  12949. 19The doctor, to M.: "Only a minute ago I was talking about you. You said you would come at ten, and I have sat here an hour and a half. I was wondering…
  12950. 20The friend sang:
  12951. 21Song: Sing His name, as long as breath flows in the body. His glory is a blazing light that brightens all the world, A stream flows, the nectar-water…
  12952. 22The doctor, to M.: Isn't the song very fine? What a passage that is! "Where is His end, where is His end, all these ask."
  12953. 23M.: Yes, that passage is wonderful; it has a strong feeling of the Infinite.
  12954. 24The doctor, affectionately: It is late in the day; you have eaten, I hope? My meal is over before ten, and then I go out on my rounds. If I go out wit…
  12955. 25M.: That will be very nice, sir.
  12956. 26The doctor: Well, here or there? Whatever you say.
  12957. 27M.: Sir, be it here or be it there, we shall all eat with delight.
  12958. 28Now the Talk Turns to Mother Kali
  12959. 29The doctor: Kali is only a Santal wench. M. laughed aloud.
  12960. 30M.: Where is that written?
  12961. 31The doctor: I've heard something of the kind. M. laughed.
  12962. 32The day before, Sri Vijaykrishna and other devotees had gone into bhava and samadhi. The doctor too had been there. They talked of that.
  12963. 33The doctor: I did see the bhava. Is too much bhava good?
  12964. 34M.: The Paramahamsadeva says that the bhava that comes of thinking on God does no harm, however much of it there is. He says that a gem's lustre gives…
  12965. 35The doctor: A gem's lustre: why, that is reflected light!
  12966. 36M.: He says too that a man who sinks in the lake of nectar does not die. God is the lake of nectar. Sinking in Him does a man no harm; rather, he beco…
  12967. 37The doctor: Yes, that is so.
  12968. 38The doctor got into his carriage; he would see two or four patients and then go on to see the Paramahamsadeva. On the way the talk with M. began again…
  12969. 39M.: He goes to see the Paramahamsadeva. If he has any pride, it will not last much longer. When a man sits near him, his pride takes flight; it is gro…
  12970. 40The doctor: Well, how does Vidyasagar regard him?
  12971. 41M.: That day he showed him great devotion. But talking with him I have found that he does not much care for what the Vaishnavas call bhava and the lik…
  12972. 42The doctor: Joining the palms, laying one's head at another's feet: I don't like all that. The head is no different from the foot. But one who has som…
  12973. 43M.: You don't care for bhava and the like. The Paramahamsadeva now and then calls you a "deep soul"; perhaps you remember it. Yesterday he was saying…
  12974. 44The doctor: I don't deserve the compliment. What else is bhava? A feeling. Bhakti, and other feelings too: when they grow strong, some can hold them d…
  12975. 45M.: Some can give an explanation of a kind, some cannot; but, sir, bhava and bhakti are a thing beyond compare. I saw Stebbing on Darwinism in your li…
  12976. 46The doctor: Yes, and have you noticed, Stebbing accepts Darwinism and accepts God as well!
  12977. 47The Talk Turns Again to the Paramahamsadeva
  12978. 48The doctor: He, the Paramahamsadeva, is a worshipper of Kali, I see.
  12979. 49M.: His "Kali" means something else. Him whom the Vedas name the Supreme Brahman, Him alone he calls Kali. Him whom the Mussulmans call Allah, Him who…
  12980. 50"I have heard from him that a man had a tub, and there was dye in it. Whoever needed a cloth dyed would go to him. He would ask, 'What colour do you w…
  12981. 51The doctor: All things to all men! That's not good either, although St Paul says it
  12982. 52M.: Who will understand the Paramahamsadeva's state? I have heard from his own lips that unless one deals in yarn, one cannot tell number forty yarn f…
  12983. 53The doctor: Well, how do you look after him in his illness?
  12984. 54M.: For the present one person superintends each day, one of those who are older in years. One day Girish Babu, one day Ram Babu, one day Balaram, one…
  12985. 55Chapter Three
  12986. 56With the Devotees: What Is There in Mere Learning?
  12987. 57While they talked of these things, the doctor's carriage drew up at the house in Shyampukur where Sri Sri Thakur Paramahamsadeva was staying for treat…
  12988. 58Little by little much talk about God went on with the devotees.
  12989. 59Earlier Days: Doctor Ramnarayan; Talk with Bankim
  12990. 60Sri Ramakrishna: What is the good of being merely a pundit, if there is no discrimination and dispassion? When I think on the Lotus Feet of God, a sta…
  12991. 61"Doctor Ramnarayan was arguing with me, and suddenly that state came on. Then I told him, 'What are you saying? What will you understand of Him by arg…
  12992. 62The doctor: Doctor Ramnarayan is a Hindu, after all! And he takes flowers and sandal-paste too! A true Hindu, after all!
  12993. 63M., to himself: The doctor had said, I have nothing to do with conch and bell.
  12994. 64Sri Ramakrishna: Bankim is one of your pundits. I had met Bankim. I asked him, What is a man's duty? And he says, "Eating, sleeping and sex." Hearing…
  12995. 65The meeting of Sri Sri Paramahamsadeva with Sri Bankimchandra Chatterji took place at the house of the great devotee Sri Adharlal Sen, a deputy magist…
  12996. 66The doctor: "Gopal! Gopal!" What is that story?
  12997. 67Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "There was a goldsmith's shop. A great devotee. A thorough Vaishnava. A string of beads at his throat, the sacred mark on hi…
  12998. 68"I had gone with Sejo Babu to another place; many pundits had come to argue with me. I am an ignorant fool, you know." Everyone laughed. "They saw tha…
  12999. 69Earlier Days: The First Samadhi; His Manifestation, and Saraswati on the Fool's Tongue
  13000. 70Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, when His grace comes, can there be any want of knowledge? Don't you see, I am an ignorant fool and know nothing; then who says a…
  13001. 71"In my boyhood He manifested Himself. At the age of eleven, what I saw out in the field! Everyone said I had fallen senseless; there was no sign of fe…
  13002. 72Chapter Four
  13003. 73Free Will or God's Will? "Mounted on a machine, by maya."
  13004. 74Sri Ramakrishna: I am an ignorant fool, you know; I know nothing. Then who says all these things? I say, Mother, I am the machine, You are the One who…
  13005. 75The doctor: After that you ought to be careful.
  13006. 76Sri Ramakrishna, with folded hands: What am I to do? When that state comes I become unconscious! What I do, I cannot know at all.
  13007. 77The doctor: You ought to be careful. What use is folding your hands?
  13008. 78Sri Ramakrishna: Can I do anything then? But what do you think my state is? If you think it is a sham, then all the Science you have read is ashes!
  13009. 79The doctor: Sir! If I thought it a sham, would I come so often? Just see: I leave all my work and come here. I cannot go to the houses of so many pati…
  13010. 80"I will not fight": the Bhagavad Gita. God alone is the doer; Arjuna is the machine.
  13011. 81Sri Ramakrishna: I had said to Sejo Babu: Don't you imagine you are a great man. Because you honour me, have I been made blessed? As for that, honour…
  13012. 82The doctor: Do you think I shall honour you because So-and-so Marh has honoured you? * * Still, I do indeed respect you; I regard you, as one regards…
  13013. 83Sri Ramakrishna: Am I asking you to honour me!
  13014. 84Girish Ghosh: Is he asking you to honour him?
  13015. 85The doctor, to Sri Ramakrishna: What are you saying? That it is God's will?
  13016. 86Sri Ramakrishna: What else am I saying! Before God's power what can man do? In the war of Kurukshetra Arjuna said, I shall not be able to fight; slayi…
  13017. 87By Me alone have these been slain already; be thou the instrument only, O Savyasachin.
  13018. 88Liberty or Necessity, Influence of Motives.
  13019. 89The doctor: If it is God's will, then what do you chatter for? Why say so many words to give people knowledge?
  13020. 90Sri Ramakrishna: He makes me speak, so I speak. "I am the machine; You are the One who works it."
  13021. 91The doctor: You call yourself a machine. Then either say just that, or keep quiet; everything is God.
  13022. 92Girish: Sir, think what you will. But He makes us do, so we do. Can anyone go a single step against the Almighty Will (one step against His will)?
  13023. 93The doctor: But He has given us Free Will. If I wish, I can think of God; and again, if I don't wish, I can leave it alone.
  13024. 94Girish: It is because you like it that you think of God, or do some other good work. It is not you who do it; that liking makes you do it.
  13025. 95The doctor: Why, I do it as my duty—
  13026. 96Girish: That too is because you like doing your duty.
  13027. 97The doctor: Suppose a child is burning; to go and save it from a sense of duty—
  13028. 98Girish: There is joy in saving the child, so you go into the fire; the joy takes you there. It is swallowing the opium pill out of greed for the savou…
  13029. 99"Knowledge, the thing known, and the knower: threefold is the impulse to action."
  13030. 100Sri Ramakrishna: Before one sets about a work, there must first be a faith; along with it there is joy in thinking of the thing, and then the man enga…
  13031. 101The doctor: But fire gives "heat" as well as light. By the light one sees, to be sure; but the heat burns the body. Going about one's Duty (the work o…
  13032. 102M., to Girish: When the belly gets fed, the back can bear the blows. There is joy in pain too.
  13033. 103Girish, to the doctor: Duty is dry.
  13034. 104The doctor: Why?
  13035. 105Girish: Then it is juicy. Everyone laughed.
  13036. 106M.: Fine; now we have come to swallowing the pill for greed.
  13037. 107Girish, to the doctor: It is juicy; otherwise why do you do your duty?
  13038. 108The doctor: Such is the mind's inclination (the mind's going that way).
  13039. 109M., to Girish: "'One's wretched nature pulls.'" There was laughter. "If there is a leaning (inclination) to one side, then where is free will?"
  13040. 110The doctor: I am not saying it is free (independent) altogether. A cow is tied to a post; as far as the rope reaches, within that she is free. When th…
  13041. 111Sri Ramakrishna and Free Will
  13042. 112Sri Ramakrishna: Jadu Mallick also gave this comparison. To the Younger Narendra: Is this in English?
  13043. 113To the doctor: Look, God is doing everything; He is the One who works the machine, I am the machine. If anyone has this faith, he is indeed free while…
  13044. 114"Until God is seen, until that philosopher's stone is touched, the error that I am the doer will remain; this sense of difference, that I have done go…
  13045. 115Girish: How did you come to know there is Free Will?
  13046. 116The doctor: Not by Reason (reasoning)—I feel it!
  13047. 117Girish: Then I and others feel it to be the reverse. We all feel just the opposite: that we are dependent on another. Everyone laughed.
  13048. 118The doctor: "In Duty there are two elements: 1. I set about the work I ought to do because it is Duty; 2. afterwards there is delight. But in the init…
  13049. 119M., to himself: Whether the joy comes afterwards, or comes in the mind at the same time, is hard to say. If the work is done by the force of joy, wher…
  13050. 120Chapter Five
  13051. 121Love That Seeks No Reason. Earlier Days: Sri Ramakrishna's Attitude of a Servant
  13052. 122Sri Ramakrishna: What he (the doctor) has said is called ahetuki bhakti, devotion without a motive. I want nothing from Mahendra Sarkar; I have no nee…
  13053. 123"Ahalya had said, O Rama! Even if I am born of a sow's womb, I have no objection; only let me have pure devotion at Your lotus feet. I want nothing el…
  13054. 124"To remind Ramachandra of the slaying of Ravana, Narada had gone to Ayodhya to see him. When he saw Sita and Rama he began to sing a hymn of praise. R…
  13055. 125"So it is with him. He wants only to see God, and wants nothing else at all: neither wealth nor honour nor the comforts of the body. This is what is c…
  13056. 126"There is a little joy, to be sure; but not the joy of worldly things. It is the joy of devotion, of love. Sambhu (Mallick) had said, when I used to g…
  13057. 127"But beyond that there is another state! He goes along like a child; why, there is no telling; perhaps he is catching a grasshopper!
  13058. 128Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Have you understood what is in his (the doctor's) mind? One prays to God, O God, give me good desires, so that my mi…
  13059. 129"I too had that state. This is called dasya, the attitude of a servant. I would weep so, crying Mother, Mother, that people would stand still. After I…
  13060. 130Doing Good to the World, and the Ordinary Man. Work without Desire, and Pure Sattva.
  13061. 131Sri Ramakrishna: If pure sattva (the quality) comes to anyone, he thinks of God alone; nothing else pleases him any more. Some get the quality of pure…
  13062. 132"The moment there is pure sattva, God is attained by His grace.
  13063. 133"Ordinary people cannot understand this state of pure sattva. Hem had said to me, 'Well, Bhattacharya Mahasaya. To win honour in the world is the aim…
  13064. 1Section Twenty-Nine
  13065. 2With Narendra, Mani and Other Devotees in the House at Syampukur
  13066. 3Chapter One
  13067. 4Why the Illness? The Teaching of Sannyasa to Narendra
  13068. 5The Master is seated in the house at Syampukur with Narendra and other devotees. It is ten o'clock in the morning. Today is Tuesday, the twenty-sevent…
  13069. 6Narendra: What a thing the doctor did yesterday before he went.
  13070. 7A devotee: The fish had got hooked on the line; it tore away.
  13071. 8Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: The hook is lodged in it—it will die and come floating up.
  13072. 9Narendra has gone out for a while; he will come in again. The Master is talking with Mani about Purna—
  13073. 10Sri Ramakrishna: I am telling you—these things are not for jivas to hear—in the attitude of Prakriti there is the wish to embrace and kiss Purusha (Go…
  13074. 11Mani: All manner of play—even your illness is within the play. Because of this illness new devotees, one after another, are coming here.
  13075. 12Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Bhupati says, if there had been no illness and a house had simply been rented, what would people have said.—Well, what happe…
  13076. 13Mani: On the one hand he accepts the servant's attitude—'I am the servant, You are the Lord.' Then again he says—why do you bring in a man as the comp…
  13077. 14Sri Ramakrishna: You see. Will you be going to him today?
  13078. 15Mani: If news has to be given, then I shall go.
  13079. 16Sri Ramakrishna: How is that boy Bankim? Should he be unable to come here, you might tell him everything instead.—There will be an awakening!
  13080. 17Ordering the World First, or God? A Hint to Keshab and to Narendra
  13081. 18Narendra comes and sits near him. Since his father passed away Narendra has been sorely harassed. There are his mother and his brothers; he has to pro…
  13082. 19The Master knows all of it—he is looking at Narendra with a steady gaze, full of affection.
  13083. 20Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Well, I said to Keshab Sen—what comes of itself is gain. One who is the son of a great house has no worry about his food—he ge…
  13084. 21M.: Yes sir, it will come; not all the time has gone yet.
  13085. 22Sri Ramakrishna: "But when there is intense renunciation such reckonings do not remain. 'I shall settle everything for the household, and after that I…
  13086. 23"Keshab Sen, too, had hinted at it. He had said—'Sir, if someone puts his worldly affairs in order and then thinks on God—can he do it or not? Can the…
  13087. 24"I said, when intense renunciation comes, the world seems a well and one's kin like black snakes. Then; 'I shall save money,' 'I shall set my affairs…
  13088. 25"A woman had had a heavy bereavement. First she tied her nose-ring in the end of her sari—after that, 'Oh! What has happened to me, oh.' she said and…
  13089. 26Everyone is laughing.
  13090. 27Hearing all this, Narendra, as if pierced by an arrow, leaned a little to one side and lay down. M. understood the state of his mind—
  13091. 28M., to Narendra, smiling: So you have lain down!
  13092. 29Sri Ramakrishna, to M., smiling: 'I am with my own brother-in-law, and even that makes me die of shame; how do all these (the other wenches) live with…
  13093. 30M. himself is living in the world; he ought to feel ashamed. No one sees his own fault—he sees another's! This is what the Master is saying. A woman h…
  13094. 31Who Is Open-handed? Greater Attachment to Money from Service and Flattery
  13095. 32Downstairs a Vaishnava was singing. Hearing it, the Master was exceedingly glad. He asked that the Vaishnava be given some money. A devotee went to gi…
  13096. 33The Master: It is money earned by service, isn't it.—Money got with great pains—money got by flattery! I had thought he would give four annas!
  13097. 34The Electricity Apparatus, and Viewing the Six-armed Form and the Picture of Ramachandra Painted by Bagchi—Earlier Days—The Long-haired Sannyasi at Da…
  13098. 35The younger Naren had said he would bring a machine and show the Master the nature of electricity. Today he brought it and showed him.
  13099. 36It is two o'clock in the afternoon—the Master is seated with the devotees. Atul has brought a friend, a munsiff. Bagchi, the well-known painter of Shi…
  13100. 37The Master is looking at the pictures with joy. Looking at the six-armed form, he says to the devotees, "Look, how it has turned out!"
  13101. 38He has asked that 'the picture of Ahalya turned to stone' be brought, to show it to the devotees again. Seeing Sri Ramachandra in the picture he is re…
  13102. 39Sri Bagchi has long hair like a woman's. The Master says, "A long time ago I saw a sannyasi at Dakshineswar. His hair was nine cubits long. That sanny…
  13103. 40After a while Narendra is singing. The songs are full of renunciation. Was Narendra stirred, hearing from the Master's lips the talk of intense renunc…
  13104. 41Narendra's songs—
  13105. 421. Will my days, O Lord, go passing by in vain,
  13106. 432. Within the heart You are awake, O Mother, Indwelling One.
  13107. 443. What joy is there in my life, O Lord, O Compassionate One, if the bee of my soul stays not forever immersed in the lotus of Your feet!
  13108. 1Part One, Section Eighteen
  13109. 2Sri Ramakrishna with Narendra, Girish, Sarkar and Other Devotees
  13110. 3Chapter One
  13111. 4In the Joy of Devotional Song; in the Shrine of Samadhi
  13112. 5The next day, the twenty-seventh of October, 1885. Tuesday, half past five in the afternoon. Today Narendra, Doctor Sarkar, Shyam Basu, Girish, Doctor…
  13113. 6After the talk about the illness, and after Sri Ramakrishna had taken his medicine, the doctor said, "Well then, you talk with Shyam Babu; I shall be…
  13114. 7Doctor: You jump up and bounce about. Bhava must be kept pressed down.
  13115. 8The doctor sat down again. Then Narendra sang in his sweet voice, and with it the tanpura and the mridanga sounded thick and fast. He sang:
  13116. 9Song: Wondrous and boundless is this world of Your making, The universe a dwelling of beauty. Myriads of stars sparkle, a necklace of jewels and gold;…
  13117. 10Song: In thick darkness, Mother, Your formless beauty flashes out; So the yogi holds to meditation, a dweller in mountain caves. In the lap of endless…
  13118. 11The doctor said to M., 'It is dangerous to him! (This song is not good for the Master; if bhava comes on, harm may follow.)
  13119. 12Sri Ramakrishna asked M., What is he saying? He answered, The doctor is afraid that you may go into bhava samadhi.
  13120. 13As he spoke, Sri Ramakrishna had passed a little into bhava. Looking into the doctor's face, he joined his palms and said, "No, no, why should bhava c…
  13121. 14Song: What lovely splendour is this, what a face I behold. Today the Lord of my heart has come into my house; the fountain of love wells up today. Tel…
  13122. 15Song: What happiness is in my life, O Lord, O merciful One, If the bee of my soul is not lost for ever in the lotus of Your feet? What fruit comes of…
  13123. 16Hearing this part of the song, "the holy love of a chaste wife," the doctor cried out, his eyes full of tears, Ah! Ah! Narendra sang:
  13124. 17Song: When will that love awaken in me? Fulfilled, I shall chant the name of Hari, and from my eyes will stream the tears of love. When will my heart…
  13125. 18Chapter Two
  13126. 19Reflections on Knowledge and Vijnana; the Vision of Brahman
  13127. 20Meanwhile Sri Ramakrishna had come back to outer consciousness. The song ended. Then began that talk of his which charmed the mind of all, of the lear…
  13128. 21Doctor: I never go that way at all; what people will say, I don't care a straw for it.
  13129. 22Sri Ramakrishna: "You have plenty of that!" Everyone laughed.
  13130. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Look, go beyond knowledge and ignorance; then He can be known. Knowing many things is called ignorance. The pride of scholarship too…
  13131. 24With this, Sri Ramakrishna spoke, reciting a song of Ramprasad.
  13132. 25Song: Come, O mind, will you go for a walk? Beneath Kali, the wishing tree, you will pick up the four fruits.
  13133. 26Beyond the Reach of Speech and Mind; the Nature of Brahman Cannot Be Explained
  13134. 27Shyam Basu: When both thorns are thrown away, what will remain?
  13135. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Nityasuddhabodharupam. How shall I make you understand that? Suppose someone asks, How did the ghee taste to you. How are you to make…
  13136. 29Chapter Three
  13137. 30The Pride of the Scholar; Sin and Virtue
  13138. 31Sri Ramakrishna addressed the doctor again and said, "Look, unless egotism goes, knowledge does not come. 'When shall I be free? When the I is gone'.…
  13139. 32"Those who have read a book or two, at once egotism comes and settles on them. I had a talk about God with K— Tagore. He says, 'I know all that.' I sa…
  13140. 33Shyam Basu: He (K— Tagore) holds you in great regard.
  13141. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, what shall I tell you! The pride of a sweeper woman at the Kali temple in Dakshineswar! She had one or two ornaments on her. She…
  13142. 35Shyam Basu: Sir! There is punishment for sin, and yet God is doing everything; what sort of talk is this?
  13143. 36Sri Ramakrishna: What a gold-merchant's mind you have!
  13144. 37Narendra: A gold-merchant's mind, that is, a Calculating mind!
  13145. 38Sri Ramakrishna: You dolt, eat your mangoes. In the orchard there are so many hundreds of trees, so many thousands of branches, so many millions of le…
  13146. 39Doctor: And God's wine is infinite! There is no end to that wine!
  13147. 40Sri Ramakrishna, to Shyam Basu: And why not give God your power of attorney? Put the whole charge on Him. If someone gives charge to a good man, does…
  13148. 41Doctor: What is in His mind, He knows. What can a man say by calculating? He is beyond calculation!
  13149. 42Sri Ramakrishna, to Shyam Basu: That is the one thing with you people! The Calcutta folk say, 'God is guilty of partiality.' Because He has kept one m…
  13150. 43Is 'Honour from the World' the Goal of Life?
  13151. 44"Hem used to go to Dakshineswar. As soon as he saw me he would say, 'Well, Bhattacharya Mashai. In the world there is one thing: honour?' That realizi…
  13152. 45Chapter Four
  13153. 46Gross, Subtle, Causal and Great Causal
  13154. 47Shyam Basu: Can anyone show the subtle body? Can anyone show that that body goes out?
  13155. 48Sri Ramakrishna: True devotees are under no obligation to show it to you. Whether this or that rascal believes or not—as if that were their concern! T…
  13156. 49Shyam Basu: Well, the gross body, the subtle body, what are these distinctions?
  13157. 50Sri Ramakrishna: The body made of the five elements, that is the gross body. Mind, intellect, ego and chitta, of these is the subtle body made. The bo…
  13158. 51The Need of Spiritual Practice; Devotion to God Alone Is the Essence
  13159. 52Sri Ramakrishna: What will come of merely hearing? Do something.
  13160. 53"What good is it to say siddhi, siddhi with the mouth? Does that make one intoxicated.
  13161. 54"Even if you grind siddhi and rub it on your body, it does not make you intoxicated. You have to take some! Which is thread of number forty-one, which…
  13162. 55"When Ahalya's curse was lifted, Sri Ramachandra told her, Take a boon from Me. Ahalya said, 'Rama, if You will give a boon, then give this boon—even…
  13163. 56"I asked the Mother for devotion alone. Offering flowers at the Mother's lotus feet I said with folded hands, Mother, here, take Your ignorance, here,…
  13164. 57"Dharma, that is, works such as giving gifts. If you take dharma you must take adharma too. If you take virtue you must take sin. If you take knowledg…
  13165. 58"If someone eats pork and has devotion at the lotus feet of God, blessed is that man; and if, eating havishya, one has attachment to the world—
  13166. 59Doctor: Then he is low. Let me say one thing here: Buddha had eaten pork. Eating pork, and getting colic! For this ailment Buddha used to take opium.…
  13167. 60Hearing this account of the Buddha's nirvana, everyone began to laugh; and the conversation went on again.
  13168. 61Chapter Five
  13169. 62The Householder and Work without Desire; Theosophy
  13170. 63Sri Ramakrishna, to Shyam Basu: The householder's dharma: there is no harm in that. But keep the mind on the lotus feet of God and do your work free o…
  13171. 64"In the world, live as an unchaste woman lives. Her mind is on her lover, yet she does all the work of the household." To the doctor: "Do you understa…
  13172. 65Doctor: If I have not that feeling, how shall I understand?
  13173. 66Shyam Basu: "You do understand something of it, surely!" Everyone laughed.
  13174. 67Sri Ramakrishna, laughing: "And he has been in that business a long time, what do you say?" Everyone laughed.
  13175. 68Shyam Basu: Sir! What do you say of Theosophy?
  13176. 69Sri Ramakrishna: The long and the short of it is this: those who go about making disciples are people of a light class. And those who want siddhis, th…
  13177. 70Shyam Basu: But they (the Theosophists) are trying to establish the Hindu religion again.
  13178. 71Sri Ramakrishna: I don't know much about them.
  13179. 72Shyam Basu: Where the jivatma goes after death, to the world of the moon, the world of the stars and so on, all this can be learnt from Theosophy.
  13180. 73Sri Ramakrishna: That may be. Do you know what my attitude is like? Someone once asked Hanuman, What tithi is it today? Hanuman said, 'I know nothing…
  13181. 74Shyam Basu: They say there are "Mahatmas". What do you believe?
  13182. 75Sri Ramakrishna: "If you believe my word, then they are. Let all this be now. When my illness is better, you will come. If you have faith in me, a way…
  13183. 76Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: This much I say to you, don't be angry: you have done plenty of all that, money, honour, Lecture—now give your mind to…
  13184. 77A little later the doctor rose to take his leave. Just then Sri Girishchandra Ghosh arrived, took the dust of the Master's feet and sat down. The doct…
  13185. 78Doctor: "While I am here he (Girish Babu) won't come. Just when I am on the point of going, in he comes." Everyone laughed.
  13186. 79Girish and the doctor began to talk about the Science Association.
  13187. 80Sri Ramakrishna: Will you take me there one day?
  13188. 81Doctor: Should you go there, you will lose consciousness, seeing all the marvellous works of God.
  13189. 82Sri Ramakrishna: Is that so?
  13190. 83Chapter Six
  13191. 84Doctor, to Girish: Do all else—but do not worship him as God. Must you turn the head of such a good man?
  13192. 85Girish: What am I to do, sir? He who has taken me across the ocean of this world and the sea of doubt, what else shall I call him, tell me. Does his e…
  13193. 86Doctor: "It is not on account of the excrement. I have no disgust either. A shopkeeper's boy came once, and he passed stool. Everyone held a cloth to…
  13194. 87Girish: Angels (the gods) are hailing this moment as blessed, blessed.
  13195. 88Doctor: "Why, what is there to wonder at in taking the dust of the feet. I can take everybody's!—Give it here. Give it here!" He took the dust of ever…
  13196. 89Narendra, to the doctor: We regard him as like God. Do you know how? Just as between Vegetable Creation and Animal Creation there is a point where it…
  13197. 90Doctor: Look here, in the things of God there is no going by analogy.
  13198. 91Narendra: I don't say God, I say a God-like man.
  13199. 92Doctor: All such feelings one must keep down, each his own. It is not good to show them. No one has understood my feelings. My best friend, those dear…
  13200. 93Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: What is this.—They love you so much. Because you are to come, they stay awake, adorned like a bride waiting for her lo…
  13201. 94Girish: Every one has the greatest respect for you.
  13202. 95Doctor: My son, my wife even, think me hard-hearted, because my fault is this, that I do not show my feelings to anyone.
  13203. 96Girish: Then, sir! it would be good to open your heart's doors—at least out of pity for your friends—thinking that they are not able to understand you…
  13204. 97Doctor: What shall I say! My feelings get worked up more than yours do (that is, bhava comes over me). To Narendra: I shed tears in solitude!
  13205. 98The Great Soul Takes On the Sins of Living Beings; the Avataras and Narendra
  13206. 99Doctor, to Sri Ramakrishna: Well, when you are in bhava you put your foot on people's bodies; that is not good.
  13207. 100Sri Ramakrishna: Can I know, my good man, whether I am putting my foot on anybody's body or not!
  13208. 101Doctor: That it is not good, this much you do feel?
  13209. 102Sri Ramakrishna: How shall I tell you what happens to me in my state of bhava? After that state I think, I suppose that is why the illness is coming.…
  13210. 103Doctor: He has admitted it. He expresses regret for what he does; that the act is sinful, of this he is aware.
  13211. 104Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: You are a sly one (clever). You tell him, won't you; explain it to him!
  13212. 105Girish, to the doctor: Sir! You have misunderstood. He is not sorry on that account. His body is pure, untouched by sin. He touches living beings for…
  13213. 106Doctor, abashed, to Girish: "I am beaten by you; let me have the dust of your feet." He took the dust of Girish's feet. To Narendra: "Say what you wil…
  13214. 107Narendra, to the doctor: And look at another thing. For a scientific discovery you can devote your life, you heed nothing, body, illness or anything.…
  13215. 108Doctor: All the religious reformers there have been, Jesus, Chaitanya, Buddha, Mohammed, were in the end full of egotism, saying, "What I have said, t…
  13216. 109Girish, to the doctor: "Sir, you are falling into that same fault! You, all alone, in charging them all with egotism, are falling into that very same…
  13217. 110Narendra, to the doctor: We offer to him worship bordering on Divine Worship.
  13218. 111Sri Ramakrishna is laughing in his joy like a boy.
  13219. 1Section Twenty-Five
  13220. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees at Shyampukur
  13221. 3Chapter One
  13222. 4The Doctor and M.: What Is the Essence?
  13223. 5Today is Thursday, the sixth day of the dark fortnight of Aswin, 29 October 1885. It is ten o'clock in the morning. The Master is ill. He is staying a…
  13224. 6Doctor: Look, what a thing Bihari (Bhaduri) says! He says Goethe's spirit (the subtle body) went out, and then Goethe is watching it! What a strange t…
  13225. 7M.: The Paramahamsadeva says, what need have we of all such talk? We have come into the world so that devotion to God's lotus feet may come to us. He…
  13226. 8Doctor: The Paramahamsa has taken the essence, I see.
  13227. 9After this the doctor began to tell a great deal about his homoeopathic hospital: how many patients come every day—he showed their list; he said that…
  13228. 10The doctor got into his carriage, and M. got in with him. The doctor went round seeing various patients: first Chorbagan, then Mathaghashar Lane, then…
  13229. 11Doctor: There was talk with this gentleman about the Paramahamsa. Talk of Theosophy—talk of Colonel Olcott. The Paramahamsa is cross with this gentlem…
  13230. 12M.: No, why should he be cross? But I have heard they met once. Well, the Paramahamsadeva was speaking of God. At that point this gentleman did say, '…
  13231. 13Doctor: This gentleman has given 32,500 rupees to the Science Association.
  13232. 14The carriage went on. It is coming back by way of Barabazar. The doctor began to talk about the care of the Master.
  13233. 15Doctor: Is it your wish to send him to Dakshineswar?
  13234. 16M.: No, that would be a great hardship for the devotees. If he stays in Calcutta, they can come and go at all times—they can see him.
  13235. 17Doctor: But this is costing a great deal.
  13236. 18M.: The devotees feel no hardship on that account. They are trying for this, that they may be able to serve him. The expense, after all, is here as we…
  13237. 19Chapter Two
  13238. 20With Sri Ramakrishna, Doctor Sarkar, Bhaduri and Others
  13239. 21The doctor and M. came to Shyampukur and arrived at a two-storeyed house. On the upper floor of that house, on the outer side, there were two rooms wi…
  13240. 22The doctor felt his pulse and learnt everything about the state of the illness. Gradually the talk turned to God.
  13241. 23Bhaduri: Do you know what it comes to? Everything is like a dream.
  13242. 24Doctor: Is it all delusion (illusion)? Then whose delusion, and why delusion? And why does everybody talk at all, knowing it to be delusion? I cannot…
  13243. 25So'ham and the Attitude of the Servant: Knowledge and Devotion
  13244. 26Sri Ramakrishna: This is a fine attitude: You are the Lord, I am the servant. As long as there is the feeling that the body is real, as long as there…
  13245. 27"And do you know what else? To see the room from one side is just the same as to see the room from inside the room."
  13246. 28Bhaduri, to the doctor: All these things I have said are in the Vedanta. Look into the scriptures and the rest; then you'll see.
  13247. 29Doctor: Why, has he become learned by looking into the scriptures? And he too says the very same thing. Won't it do without reading the scriptures?
  13248. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Ah, but how much I have heard?
  13249. 31Doctor: With hearing alone there can be many mistakes. You have not merely heard.
  13250. 32Again the talk went on to other things.
  13251. 33'He Is Mad': The Master Giving the Dust of His Feet
  13252. 34Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: "I hear you have said, 'He is mad'? That is why these people"—he pointed to M. and the others—"are unwilling to go to…
  13253. 35Doctor, looking at M.: When? But I did call it egotism. Why do you let people take the dust of your feet?
  13254. 36M.: Otherwise people weep.
  13255. 37Doctor: That is their mistake—it ought to be explained to them.
  13256. 38M.: Why, is not Narayana in all beings?
  13257. 39Doctor: I have no objection to that. Do it to everyone.
  13258. 40M.: In some men there is more manifestation! Water is everywhere, but in a pond, in a river, in the sea—there it is manifest. Will you honour a new Ba…
  13259. 41Doctor: I agree to that. But why do you say God*?
  13260. 42M.: Why do we bow to one another? Narayana dwells within the hearts of all. You have not looked much into these things, nor thought about them.
  13261. 43Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: In some things there is more manifestation. I have told you, haven't I: the sun's rays fall on the earth in one way, o…
  13262. 44The doctor remained silent. Everyone is silent.
  13263. 45* God
  13264. 46Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: You see, you have a pull towards the one here. You have told me, I love you.
  13265. 47Sri Ramakrishna and the Worldly Jiva: 'You Are Greedy, Lustful, Egotistic'
  13266. 48Doctor: You are a child of nature, and that is why I say so much. People bow to you with their hands on your feet, and that pains me. I think, they ar…
  13267. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Why should I listen to what you say? You are greedy, lustful, egotistic.
  13268. 50Bhaduri, to the doctor: That is to say, there is jivahood in you. That is the jiva's very nature: greed for money, for honour and esteem, lust, egotis…
  13269. 51Doctor: If you say that, I shall just look at your throat trouble and go. No need of any other talk. If there must be argument, I shall say everything…
  13270. 52Everyone remained silent.
  13271. 53Anuloma and Viloma, Involution and Evolution: The Three Devotees
  13272. 54After a while the Master is again talking with Bhaduri.
  13273. 55Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what? He (the doctor) is now going by anuloma, saying neti, neti. God is not the jiva, not the world, He is apart from cr…
  13274. 56"Peel off the sheaths of the plantain tree one after another, and you come to the pith.
  13275. 57"The sheath is one thing, the pith another thing. The pith is in no way the sheath, nor is the sheath the pith. But in the end one sees that the pith…
  13276. 58"You read the Gita, the Bhagavata, the Vedanta, all these—then you will understand all this!
  13277. 59"Is God not within creation?"
  13278. 60Doctor: No, He is everywhere; and just because He is, He cannot be searched out.
  13279. 61After a while the talk turned to something else. Sri Ramakrishna's divine bhava comes on all the time, and with that there is a risk of the illness gr…
  13280. 62Doctor, to Sri Ramakrishna: You must keep the bhava down. I have a great deal of bhava myself. I can dance more than all of you.
  13281. 63The younger Naren, smiling: If the bhava grows a little more, what will you do?
  13282. 64Doctor: The controlling power (the power to hold it down) will grow too.
  13283. 65Sri Ramakrishna and M.: That is what you say (that is what you say).
  13284. 66M.: Can you say what will happen when the bhava comes?
  13285. 67After a while the talk turned to money.
  13286. 68Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: I have no desire for that, you know that, don't you? What? It's no pretence!
  13287. 69Doctor: I myself have no desire for it—let alone you! The money lies about in an open box—
  13288. 70Sri Ramakrishna: Jadu Mallick is absent-minded like that too: when he sits down to eat, he is so absent-minded that he goes on eating any dish at all,…
  13289. 71Is the Master saying by a hint that there is a great difference between being absent-minded through thinking of God and being absent-minded through th…
  13290. 72Again, looking towards the devotees and pointing to the doctor, Sri Ramakrishna says, smiling, "Look, when a thing is boiled it grows soft. He (the do…
  13291. 73Doctor: "When a thing is boiled, it is from the outside that it grows soft; but in my case that hasn't happened this time round." Everyone laughed.
  13292. 74The doctor is about to take his leave; again he is talking with the Master.
  13293. 75Doctor: People take the dust of your feet; can't you forbid it?
  13294. 76Sri Ramakrishna: Can everyone grasp the indivisible Satchidananda?
  13295. 77Doctor: Does that mean you won't say what is right?
  13296. 78Sri Ramakrishna: There is a difference of taste and a difference of fitness.
  13297. 79Doctor: Now what is that?
  13298. 80Sri Ramakrishna: Difference of taste—do you know what it is like? Some eat fish in a curry, some eat it fried, some eat fish in a sour sauce, some eat…
  13299. 81The Vision of the Indivisible: Seeing Doctor Sarkar and Hariballabh
  13300. 82Evening came. The Master was absorbed in thinking of God. So much illness; and yet it was as though the illness lay off to one side. A few intimate de…
  13301. 83The Master has come back to his normal state. Mani is sitting near him, and the Master says to him privately, "Look, the mind had merged in the Indivi…
  13302. 84Many Teachings for the Worldly Jiva
  13303. 85Sri Shyam Basu, Dokari the doctor and one or two more people have come. Now he is talking with them.
  13304. 86Shyam Basu: Ah, that thing you said the other day—how wonderful it was.
  13305. 87Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Which thing was that, now?
  13306. 88Shyam Basu: Why, what you said: what remains when one goes beyond knowledge and ignorance.
  13307. 89Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Vijnana. Knowing many things is called ignorance. God is in all beings: this is called knowledge. Knowing in a special way i…
  13308. 90"There is fire in wood, there is the principle of fire; this is called knowledge. To light that wood, cook rice and eat it, and grow hale and hearty f…
  13309. 91Shyam Basu, smiling: And that about the thorn!
  13310. 92Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Yes; it is as when a thorn has pricked the foot, one has to fetch another thorn; then, having taken out the thorn in the foo…
  13311. 93The Master is pleased with Shyam Basu. Shyam Basu is getting on in years, and now his wish is to spend some time in thinking on God. He has come here…
  13312. 94Sri Ramakrishna, to Shyam Basu: Give up talk of worldly things altogether. Don't speak of anything but God. When you see worldly people, move away whi…
  13313. 95Shyam Basu: Yes, sir; what you are saying is all true.
  13314. 96Sri Ramakrishna: For a great many days you have done a great deal of worldly work; now, in the midst of the hubbub, meditation and thinking on God wil…
  13315. 97Shyam Babu remained silent a little while, as if he were thinking about something.
  13316. 98Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "And look, your teeth have all fallen out too; why Durga Puja any more?" Everyone laughed. "Someone had said, Why don't you…
  13317. 99Shyam Basu: Ah, sugar-coated words!
  13318. 100Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: In this world sand and sugar are mixed together. Like the ant, one has to keep leaving the sand and take what little sugar t…
  13319. 101For a while everyone is silent.
  13320. 102Shyam Basu: Sir, is there such a thing as another birth? Will one have to be born again?
  13321. 103Sri Ramakrishna: Tell it to God, call on Him from the heart; He makes it known, He will make it known. Get acquainted with Jadu Mallick, and Jadu Mall…
  13322. 104Shyam Basu: Sir, living in the world a man does so much that is wrong, does sinful deeds. Can such a man attain God?
  13323. 105Sri Ramakrishna: If, before leaving the body, someone practises sadhana for God, and while practising, while calling on God, the body falls away, when…
  13324. 106The Master's illness is grave! The devotees are amazed: the compassionate Master, Sri Ramakrishna, ocean of grace without a cause, is grieved at the s…
  13325. 1Section Twenty-One
  13326. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the House at Shyampukur
  13327. 3Chapter One
  13328. 4Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the House at Shyampukur in Calcutta
  13329. 5Friday, the seventh day of the dark fortnight of Aswin; the fifteenth of Kartik; the thirtieth of October 1885. Sri Ramakrishna has come to Shyampukur…
  13330. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to M., smiling: Purna came this morning. A fine nature. Manindra has the bhava of Prakriti! How wonderful! From reading the life of C…
  13331. 7M.: Yes, sir.
  13332. 8Purnachandra is a schoolboy, fifteen or sixteen years old. The Master yearns very much to see Purna, but at home they will not let him come. In the ea…
  13333. 9Manindra too must be fifteen or sixteen. The devotees used to call him Khoka, and they call him so still. Whenever the boy heard the name of God and s…
  13334. 10Chapter Two
  13335. 11The Doctor and M.
  13336. 12Between ten and half past ten in the morning. M. has gone to Doctor Sarkar's house. Over the street is the verandah of the upstairs sitting-room, and…
  13337. 13The doctor, to M., smiling: "Look at this, these (the red fish) are staring at me, but they haven't seen the cardamom husks I've thrown over there. Th…
  13338. 14The doctor came into the sitting-room and sat down. All around, the cupboards are piled with books. The doctor is resting a little. M. is looking at t…
  13339. 15Now and then the doctor talks. He tells M. to read the letters about the whole affair, with how much trouble the homoeopathic hospital had come into b…
  13340. 16M. has taken out another book, Mungers New Theology. The doctor saw it.
  13341. 17The doctor: Munger has come to his conclusions well, on the ground of reason and argument. It is not that your Chaitanya has said such and such a thin…
  13342. 18M., smiling: Not Chaitanya, not Buddha; but this man (Munger).
  13343. 19The doctor: Well, as you say.
  13344. 20M.: "Somebody or other is saying it, after all. So it comes down to this man." The doctor laughed.
  13345. 21The doctor has got into his carriage, and M. has got in with him. The carriage is going towards Shyampukur; it is midday. The two of them go along tal…
  13346. 22M., smiling: Bhaduri has said of you that you will have to begin from bricks and stones.
  13347. 23The doctor: What does he mean by that?
  13348. 24M.: You don't accept mahatmas, the subtle body, all these things. Bhaduri Mahashay is a 'Theosophist', I think. Besides that, you don't accept the lil…
  13349. 25The doctor: Good heavens!
  13350. 26M.: And he has said that the knowledge you people get from Science is false knowledge. Here now, and gone the next. He gave a comparison too. It is as…
  13351. 27The doctor, smiling a little: Is that so.
  13352. 28The carriage came into Cornwallis Street. Doctor Sarkar took up Sri Pratap, the doctor. He had gone to see the Master the day before.
  13353. 29Chapter Three
  13354. 30Teaching for Doctor Sarkar—The Meditation of the Jnani
  13355. 31The Master is sitting in that same room upstairs—with a few devotees. He is talking with Doctor Sarkar and Pratap.
  13356. 32The doctor, to Sri Ramakrishna: "So the cough, the kasi, has come again?" Smiling: "Well, going to Kasi is a good thing." Everyone laughed.
  13357. 33Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "But that means liberation! I don't want liberation, I want bhakti." The doctor and the devotees are laughing.
  13358. 34Sri Pratap is Doctor Bhaduri's son-in-law. Seeing Pratap, the Master is singing Bhaduri's praises.
  13359. 35Sri Ramakrishna, to Pratap: Ah, what a man he has become! Thinking on God, pure conduct, and he has taken up every bhava, the formless and the one wit…
  13360. 36M. very much wishes that the talk of the bricks and stones should come up once more. He says to the younger Naren softly—yet in such a way that the Ma…
  13361. 37Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to the doctor: "And do you know what he has said about you? You don't believe all this, so after the manvantara you will hav…
  13362. 38The doctor, smiling: "Suppose I begin from bricks and stones and after many births become a man; then the moment I come here again, it's back to begin…
  13363. 39The Master is so ill, and still his divine bhava comes on and he speaks of God all the time: this is what they are talking about.
  13364. 40Pratap: Yesterday, before I left, I saw the state of bhava.
  13365. 41Sri Ramakrishna: That came on of its own accord; it was not much.
  13366. 42The doctor: Talking and bhava are not good just now.
  13367. 43Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: "In the state of bhava I had yesterday, I saw you. I saw a mine of knowledge—but the brain is all dry; it has not tast…
  13368. 44The Aim of Life—Things of the Past—Nangta's Teaching
  13369. 45The devotees are all silent, when suddenly Sri Ramakrishna, filled with bhava, says to Doctor Sarkar:
  13370. 46"Mahindra Babu—what is this money, money you keep on at! Wife, wife!—honour, honour! you keep on at! Give all that up now, and with a single mind set…
  13371. 47Doctor Sarkar is silent. Everyone is silent.
  13372. 48Sri Ramakrishna: Nangta used to speak of the jnani's meditation. Water in water, below and above filled full! The jiva is like a fish, swimming joyful…
  13373. 49"The boundless sea, and its water too has no limit. Within it, as it were, there is a pot. Water outside, water inside. The jnani sees—within and with…
  13374. 50"And do you know what else the jnani's meditation is like? The boundless sky, and in it a bird flying in joy, with its wings spread wide! The Chidakas…
  13375. 51Compare Shelley's Skylark.
  13376. 52The devotees listen in wonder to these words on the yoga of meditation. After a while Pratap began to talk again.
  13377. 53Pratap, to Sarkar: When you come to think of it, it is all shadow.
  13378. 54The doctor: If you have said shadow, then three things are needed. The sun, the object, and the shadow. Without an object, what shadow can there be! A…
  13379. 55Pratap: All right, just as there is a reflection in a mirror, so in the mirror of the mind this world is seen.
  13380. 56The doctor: Without an object, can there be a reflection?
  13381. 57Narendra: Why, God is the object!
  13382. 58The doctor remained silent.
  13383. 59The Consciousness of the World and Science—God Alone the Doer
  13384. 60Sri Ramakrishna, to the doctor: One thing you have said very well. That the state of bhava comes from the union of the mind: no one else has said this…
  13385. 61"Sivanath said that thinking of God too much makes one lose one's head. He says one becomes unconscious thinking on the Consciousness of the world! Th…
  13386. 62"And your Science—this mixed with that makes that, that mixed with this makes this; thinking on those things one could sooner lose all awareness, doin…
  13387. 63The doctor: In that, God can be seen.
  13388. 64Mani: But in man He can be seen more clearly. And in a great soul He can be seen still more. In a great soul there is more manifestation.
  13389. 65The doctor: Yes, in man, that is so.
  13390. 66Sri Ramakrishna: Unconscious from thinking on Him! The Consciousness by which even matter has become conscious, hands and feet and body are moving! Th…
  13391. 67"Rice is boiling in the pot. The potatoes and the brinjals are jumping about. A little child says the potatoes and brinjals are dancing of themselves;…
  13392. 68Doctor Sarkar rose. Now he will take his leave. Sri Ramakrishna too stood up.
  13393. 69The doctor: Madhusudana in time of trouble. Not for nothing does it make one say "tuhu, tuhu." It is because that thing has come in your throat. As yo…
  13394. 70Sri Ramakrishna: What is there for me to say.
  13395. 71The doctor: Why won't you say it? We are in His lap, we soil ourselves in His lap, and when we fall ill, are we not to tell Him? Then whom are we to t…
  13396. 72Sri Ramakrishna: Right, right. Every now and then I do say it. But—it doesn't come.
  13397. 73The doctor: And why should you even have to say it; does He not know?
  13398. 74Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: A Mussalman, while saying his namaz, was crying aloud, "Ho Allah!" "Ho Allah!" A man told him, You are calling on Allah, so…
  13399. 75The Marks of a Yogi—The Yogi Turned Within—Bilwamangal Thakur
  13400. 76Sri Ramakrishna: When the mind is joined to Him, then one sees God very near. One sees Him within the heart.
  13401. 77"But there is one thing: the more this union comes, the more the mind draws away from the things outside. In the Bhaktamala there is the story of a de…
  13402. 78The doctor: This is Tantric worship. Woman as mother.
  13403. 79The Worldly Man Has No Right to Teach Others
  13404. 80Sri Ramakrishna: Look, listen to a tale. There was a king. Every day the king used to hear the Bhagavata from a pandit. Every day, after reading the B…
  13405. 81Listen to another story. A man needed a Bhagavata pandit, a pandit who would come every day and speak on the Srimad Bhagavata. Now, no Bhagavata pandi…
  13406. 82The doctor remained silent.
  13407. 83Mere Scholarship and the Doctor
  13408. 84Sri Ramakrishna: You know what? What will mere scholarship do? The pandits know and have heard a great deal—the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras. But w…
  13409. 85"What comes of reading the Gita? Just what comes of saying 'Gita, Gita' ten times. Saying 'Gita, Gita' over and over, it becomes 'tyagi'! He whose att…
  13410. 86The doctor: The moment you go to say 'tyagi', you have to bring in a ya-phala.
  13411. 87Mani: It works without bringing in the ya-phala too; the Goswami of Navadvip told the Master so. The Master had gone to Panihati to see the great fest…
  13412. 88The doctor: "Somebody once told me the meaning of Radha. He said, Do you know what Radha means? Turn the word round, that is, 'dhara, dhara'." Everyon…
  13413. 89Chapter Four
  13414. 90Worldly Knowledge, or Science
  13415. 91The doctor went away. M. is sitting near Sri Ramakrishna, and they are talking in private. M. had gone to the doctor's house, and they were talking of…
  13416. 92M., to Sri Ramakrishna: Cardamom husks were being given to the red fish, and pellets of flour to the sparrows. So he says, 'Do you see, they didn't se…
  13417. 93Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: That knowledge means worldly knowledge—their knowledge of Science.
  13418. 94M.: And he said again, 'Chaitanya has said it, or Buddha has said it, or Jesus Christ has said it, so I am to believe! Not that!'
  13419. 95"A grandson has been born—so he praised his daughter-in-law. He said, Not on a single day do I see her about the house, she is so quiet and so modest—…
  13420. 96Sri Ramakrishna: He is thinking about the things of this place. Faith is growing by degrees. Does egotism go all at once, now! So much learning, such…
  13421. 97Chapter Five
  13422. 98The Power Descended, or the Ever-Blissful
  13423. 99Five in the afternoon. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in that room upstairs. All around him the devotees are sitting in silence. Among them many people fr…
  13424. 100M. is sitting close by. Now and then a word passes between them privately. The Master is to put on his shirt—M. helps him into it.
  13425. 101Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: You see, now there is no longer much need to meditate and the like. The Indivisible is realised all at once. Now there is only…
  13426. 102M. is silent. The room too is still.
  13427. 103After a while the Master again says something to him.
  13428. 104Sri Ramakrishna: Well, all these people sitting quiet in one place, and looking at me—no talk, no song; what do they see in it?
  13429. 105Is the Master hinting that the very power of God has descended, and that is why so many people are drawn, that is why the devotees gaze at him in wond…
  13430. 106M. answered: Sir, these people have all heard about you long before, and they see what they never get to see: ever-blissful, a child by nature, withou…
  13431. 107M. again remained silent. The room was still again! After a while the Master again said something to M. in a low voice.
  13432. 108Sri Ramakrishna: Well, how is the doctor coming on? Is he taking in all the words of this place well?
  13433. 109M.: Where can this unfailing seed go? Some time or other, by one way or another, it will come out. Something from the other day is making me laugh.
  13434. 110Sri Ramakrishna: What was it?
  13435. 111M.: The other day you said that Jadu Mallick, when he eats, cannot make out which dish has been salted and which has not; he is so absent-minded! If s…
  13436. 112Sri Ramakrishna: Won't he think on those things?
  13437. 113M.: He will think on them, surely. But he has so many things to do, and he forgets a great deal. Today too you put it well, when he said, 'That is the…
  13438. 114Sri Ramakrishna: What did I say?
  13439. 115M.: "You told the story of the Bhagavata pandit with the plough-oxen." Sri Ramakrishna laughed. "And you told the story of the king who had said, 'You…
  13440. 116"And you spoke of the Gita. The heart of the Gita is the renunciation of woman and gold—the renunciation of attachment to woman and gold. You told the…
  13441. 117The Master is thinking about a devotee—about Purna, the boy devotee. Manindra too is a boy devotee; the Master sent him to talk with Purna.
  13442. 118Chapter Six
  13443. 119On the Truth of Radha and Krishna—'All Is Possible'—the Eternal and the Lila
  13444. 120Evening has fallen. A lamp is burning in Sri Ramakrishna's room. A few devotees, and those who have come to see the Master, are sitting in that room a…
  13445. 121After a while Narendra brought a friend with him. Narendra said, This is my friend; he has written several books; he writes the 'Kiranmayi'. The autho…
  13446. 122Narendra: He has written about Radha and Krishna.
  13447. 123Sri Ramakrishna, to the writer: What have you written? Do tell me.
  13448. 124The writer: It is Radha-Krishna who is the Parabrahman, the bindu of Om. From that Radha-Krishna, the Parabrahman, comes Mahavishnu; from Mahavishnu,…
  13449. 125Sri Ramakrishna: Fine! Nanda Ghosh saw the Eternal Radha. The Radha of love played in Vrindavan; the Radha of desire is Chandravali.
  13450. 126"The Radha of desire, the Radha of love. Go further still and there is the Eternal Radha. When you peel an onion, first comes the red skin, then the s…
  13451. 127"The Eternal Radha-Krishna, and the Radha-Krishna of the lila. Like the sun and its rays. The Eternal is like the sun, the lila like the rays.
  13452. 128"The pure devotee sometimes stays in the Eternal, sometimes in the lila.
  13453. 129"The very One whose is the Eternal, His is the lila. Not two, nor many."
  13454. 130The writer: Sir, why do they say 'Vrindavan's Krishna' and 'Mathura's Krishna'?
  13455. 131Sri Ramakrishna: That is the view of the Goswamis. The pandits in the west don't say so. Their Krishna is one alone; there is no Radha. The Krishna of…
  13456. 132The writer: Sir, it is Radha-Krishna who is the Parabrahman.
  13457. 133Sri Ramakrishna: Fine! But in Him all things are possible! That same He alone is formless and with form! He alone is Swarat and Virat! He alone is Bra…
  13458. 134"There is no limit to Him—no end; in Him all things are possible. However high the kites and vultures may soar, the sky does not touch their bodies. I…
  13459. 1Section Thirty
  13460. 2With Hariballabh, Narendra, Misra and Other Devotees in the House at Syampukur
  13461. 3Chapter One
  13462. 4Concern for Sri Balaram—Sri Hariballabh Bose
  13463. 5Sri Ramakrishna is staying with the devotees in the house at Syampukur for his treatment. Today is Saturday: the eighth lunar day of the dark fortnigh…
  13464. 6Here the devotees stay day and night—for the service of the Master! As yet none of them has renounced the world.
  13465. 7Balaram and his household are servants of the Master. The family into which he was born is a family of great devotion. His father has grown old and li…
  13466. 8Hariballabh is the leading pleader of Cuttack. He has heard that Balaram goes to and fro to the Paramahamsa—above all, that he takes the women with hi…
  13467. 9Today Hariballabh has come; having looked upon the Master, he bowed down before him with deep devotion.
  13468. 10Sri Ramakrishna: How will it get well!—Do you find it a hard illness?
  13469. 11Hariballabh: Sir, the doctors can tell that.
  13470. 12Sri Ramakrishna: The women take the dust of the feet. So I think that in one form it is He alone (God) who is within—that is how I reckon it.
  13471. 13Hariballabh: You are a holy man! If everyone bows down to you, what fault is there in that?
  13472. 14Sri Ramakrishna: That would be fitting if any of these came—Dhruva, Prahlada, Narada, Kapila. What am I! You will come again.
  13473. 15Hari: Yes, sir, it is by our own pull that I shall come—why do you say it.
  13474. 16Hariballabh is about to take his leave—he is bowing down. He moves to take the dust of the feet—the Master draws his feet away. But Hariballabh would…
  13475. 17Hariballabh rose. The Master stood up, as though to do him honour. He said—"Balaram grieves a great deal. I thought to myself, one day I'll go—go and…
  13476. 18Hari: Who has said all that. Please do not think about it at all.
  13477. 19Hariballabh went away.
  13478. 20Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: There is bhakti in him—otherwise, why did he take the dust of the feet by force?
  13479. 21"You remember I told you, 'In bhava I saw the doctor and one more person—this is that one more! So, you see, he has come."
  13480. 22M.: Yes, sir, it is a house of bhakti indeed.
  13481. 23Sri Ramakrishna: How simple!
  13482. 24M. has come to Sankharitola to give Doctor Sarkar the news of the Master's illness. The doctor is to go and see the Master again today.
  13483. 25The doctor is talking of the Master and of Mahimacharan and other devotees.
  13484. 26Doctor: Why, he (Mahimacharan) has not brought that book—the book he had said he would show me! He said it had slipped his mind. That may be—it happen…
  13485. 27M.: He has read a good deal.
  13486. 28Doctor: If so, then such a state!
  13487. 29Of the Master the doctor says, "What will come of bhakti alone—if there is no jnana."
  13488. 30M.: Why, the Master does say—bhakti after jnana. But his 'jnana and bhakti' and your 'jnana and bhakti' are far apart in meaning.
  13489. 31"When he says—'bhakti after jnana', it means—bhakti after the knowledge of Reality, bhakti after the Knowledge of Brahman—bhakti after knowing Bhagava…
  13490. 32The doctor, after keeping silent, talks again of the Avatar.
  13491. 33Doctor: And what is this Avatar? And what is this taking of the dust of the feet!
  13492. 34M.: Why, you do say that at the time of an experiment bhava comes on you at the sight of His creation, and bhava comes when you look at man. If that i…
  13493. 35"Hindu religion sees Narayana in all beings? This you do not know so well. If He dwells in all beings, what is wrong with bowing down to Him?
  13494. 36"The Paramahamsa says that in some things He is more manifest. The sun shows itself in water, in a mirror. Water is in every place—but in a river, in…
  13495. 37"He cannot, you see, be known by reasoning (plain reasoning)—everything rests on faith. All this is what the Master says."
  13496. 38Today the doctor presented M. with a book written by him—Physiological Basis of Psychology—'as a token of brotherly regards.'
  13497. 39Chapter Two
  13498. 40Sri Ramakrishna and Jesus Christ—Christ Manifest in Him
  13499. 41The Master is seated with the devotees. It is eleven o'clock in the morning. He is talking with a Christian devotee named Misra. Misra must be about t…
  13500. 42Misra: 'That same Rama lies within every vessel.'
  13501. 43Sri Ramakrishna is saying softly to the younger Naren—so that Misra too may hear—"One Rama, and a thousand names of His."
  13502. 44"That very One whom the Christians call God, the Hindus call Rama, Krishna, Isvara—all these. A pond has many ghats. At one ghat the Hindus are drinki…
  13503. 45Misra: Jesus is not Mary's son. Jesus is God Himself.
  13504. 46To the devotees: "He (Sri Ramakrishna) is now as he is—and again, at one time, God Himself.
  13505. 47"You (the devotees) cannot recognise him. I have seen him from before—now I am seeing him in person. I had seen—a garden; he is seated above on a seat…
  13506. 48"In this land there are four door-keepers. In the Bombay region, Tukaram, and in Kashmir, Robert Michael—here, this one—and in the eastern country the…
  13507. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Do you get to see anything—anything of the sort?
  13508. 50Misra: Yes, sir; from the time I lived at home I used to have visions of light. After that I have seen Jesus. What more shall I say of that form!—Besi…
  13509. 51After a while, as he talked with the devotees, Misra opened his coat and pantaloons and showed the ochre loincloth he wore beneath.
  13510. 52The Master, coming in from the verandah, says, "There was no motion of the bowels—I saw him (Misra) standing in the posture of a hero."
  13511. 53Saying this, the Master is passing into samadhi. Facing west, he stands in samadhi.
  13512. 54Coming a little to himself, he keeps looking at Misra and laughing.
  13513. 55He is still standing. In bhava he is shaking hands (clasping hands) with Misra and laughing. Holding his hand, he says, "What you want will come to pa…
  13514. 56It seems the Master had the bhava of Jesus! 'Are he and Jesus one?
  13515. 57Misra, with folded hands: From that day I have given you mind, life, body—everything!
  13516. 58The Master is laughing in bhava.
  13517. 59The Master sat down. Misra is telling the devotees all his earlier story. His two brothers, pinned under the awning at the bridegroom's gathering, bro…
  13518. 60The Master told the devotees to look after Misra with care.
  13519. 61In the Joy of Kirtan with Narendra, Doctor Sarkar and Others
  13520. 62Doctor Sarkar has come. Seeing the doctor, the Master is in samadhi. When the bhava has abated a little, the Master says in bhava, "After the bliss of…
  13521. 63The doctor says, Yes!
  13522. 64Sri Ramakrishna: I have not lost consciousness.
  13523. 65The doctor has understood that God has taken possession of the Master. So he says, "No, you are very much in your senses!"
  13524. 66The Master says, smiling:
  13525. 67I do not drink wine; I drink nectar, crying, Victory to Kali! The drunken mind makes me drunk; those drunk on liquor call me a drunkard. Taking the mo…
  13526. 68Hearing the song, the doctor was almost overcome by bhava. The Master too went into bhava again. In bhava he stretched out his feet into the doctor's…
  13527. 69After a while the bhava was drawn in—then, drawing back his feet, he says to the doctor, "Oh! What a thing you said! I am sitting in His very lap—if I…
  13528. 70As he was saying this, the Master's eyes filled with tears.
  13529. 71Again in bhava. To the doctor, in bhava, he says, "You are very pure! Otherwise I cannot put my feet there!" Again he says, "He alone is at peace who…
  13530. 72"What are worldly things?—What is there in them?—Money and riches, honour; the pleasures of the body—what is there in them? He who has not known Rama—…
  13531. 73Seeing the Master pass into bhava on top of so grave an illness, the devotees have grown anxious. The Master says—"If that song is sung, I shall stop—…
  13532. 74Narendra was in another room; he was sent for. In his voice, rare among the gods, he is singing to them:
  13533. 75Drinking the wine of the nectar of Hari, O my mind, be drunk. (Once) roll upon the ground and weep, crying Hari, Hari. With a deep resounding cry fill…
  13534. 76Sri Ramakrishna: And that one? "In the waters of the sea of Consciousness and Bliss?
  13535. 77Narendra sings:
  13536. 781. In the waters of the sea of Consciousness and Bliss, the waves of the bliss of love, Mahabhava, the play of rasa—what sweetness—ah me, ah me. In th…
  13537. 792. Think, O my mind, on Hari, Consciousness condensed, the Stainless One.
  13538. 80The doctor is listening with one-pointed mind. When the song is over he says, 'In the waters of the sea of Consciousness and Bliss—that one is fine!'…
  13539. 81"The other day the Mother showed me two people. He is one of them. Much jnana will come, I saw—but dry." To the doctor, smiling: "But you will grow ju…
  13540. 82The doctor remains silent.
  13541. 1Section Twenty-Two
  13542. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Shyampukur House
  13543. 3Chapter One
  13544. 4With the Devotees at the Shyampukur House on the Day of the Kali Puja
  13545. 5Sri Ramakrishna is standing in the south room upstairs in the Shyampukur house. It is nine in the morning. The Master wears a clean cloth, and there i…
  13546. 6At the Master's bidding M. has brought the prasad of Siddheswari Kali; with the prasad in his hand the Master, standing, full of devotion, is taking a…
  13547. 7Today is Friday, the new moon of Aswin, the sixth of November, 1885. Today is the Kali Puja.
  13548. 8The Master had told M. to offer worship this morning to Mother Siddheswari Kali of Thanthania with flowers, a green coconut, sugar and sandesh. M. bat…
  13549. 9There was one more bidding of the Master's: 'Buy the books of the songs of Ramprasad and of Kamalakanta and bring them'. They are to be given to Docto…
  13550. 10M. says, "Here, I have brought the books. The books of Ramprasad's and Kamalakanta's songs." Sri Ramakrishna said, "You are to get all these songs in—…
  13551. 11Song: O mind, what is it you reason out about Him, like a madman in a dark room? He is a matter of bhava; without bhava, in its absence, can anyone la…
  13552. 12Song: Who knows what Kali is like? The six darsanas do not get a sight of Her.
  13553. 13Song: O mind, you do not know the work of tilling. Such a human field lies fallow; had you tilled it, it would have yielded gold.
  13554. 14Song: Come, mind, will you go for a walk? At the foot of Kali the wishing-tree, O mind, you will gather the four fruits.
  13555. 15M. said, Yes, sir. The Master is pacing the room with M., slippers on his feet. So ill, and yet his face is smiling.
  13556. 16Sri Ramakrishna: And that song is good too!—'This world is a frame of illusion. And 'This world is a house of fun! O brother, I roll about in the mark…
  13557. 17M.: Yes, sir.
  13558. 18Suddenly the Master gives a start. At once he put off his slippers and stood still. Wholly in samadhi. Today is the worship of the Mother of the Unive…
  13559. 19Chapter Two
  13560. 20With the Devotees on the Day of the Kali Puja
  13561. 21The Master is sitting with the devotees in that same upstairs room; it is ten in the morning. He is sitting on the bed, leaning against a pillow, with…
  13562. 22Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram and the others: Hride is still going on about land, land. When he was at Dakshineswar he said, Give me a shawl, or else I shal…
  13563. 23"The Mother moved him away. When people visited, he would do nothing but harp on money, money. If he had stayed, all these people would not have visit…
  13564. 24"Go— had begun the same way. He would be always finding fault. When he was to go with me in the carriage, he would hang back. He was annoyed when the…
  13565. 25"Then I said to the Mother, Mother, do not take him away altogether, as You did Hriday. After that I heard he was going to Vrindavan.
  13566. 26"If Go— had stayed, it would not have come about for all these boys. He went off to Vrindavan, and so all these boys began to come and go."
  13567. 27Go—, humbly: Sir, I had nothing of that in my mind.
  13568. 28Ram Datta: Will you understand your own mind as he understands it?
  13569. 29Go— remained silent.
  13570. 30Sri Ramakrishna, to Go—: Why are you behaving like this—I love you more than a child of my own!—
  13571. 31"Do be quiet..............You have no such bhava now."
  13572. 32After the conversation with the devotees, when they had gone into another room, the Master sent for Go— and said, Have you taken anything to heart.
  13573. 33Go—: No, sir.
  13574. 34The Master said to M., Today is the Kali Puja; it would be good to arrange some worship. Go and tell them once. And just ask whether they have brought…
  13575. 35M. went into the drawing-room and let the devotees know everything. Kalipada and the other devotees began to get the worship ready.
  13576. 36At about two in the afternoon the doctor came to see the Master, and with him Professor Nilmani. Many devotees were sitting near the Master: Girish, K…
  13577. 37The doctor wished to hear songs. At the Master's bidding M. and a devotee sang songs of Ramprasad—
  13578. 38Song: What is it, O mind, you reason out about Him, like a madman in a dark room?
  13579. 39Song: Who knows what Kali is like; the six darsanas do not get a sight of Her.
  13580. 40Song: O mind, you do not know the work of tilling.
  13581. 41Song: Come, mind, will you go for a walk?
  13582. 42The doctor says to Girish, "That song of yours is fine—the song of the vina—from the Buddha-charita." At a sign from the Master, Girish and Kalipada s…
  13583. 43This vina of mine, my heart's delight, a garland of strings strung with care; Who knows the care of it plays upon the vina, and nectar rises without e…
  13584. 44Song: I long for rest; where shall I find rest? From where do I come, and where do I float away? Again and again I come; how much I weep and laugh; Wh…
  13585. 45Song: Hold me, Nitai. My heart today feels I know not how. Nitai, to give away the name of Hari to the jivas, A wave rose, oh, on the river of love; N…
  13586. 46Song: Come, let us cry Hari, Hari, to our heart's content; come dancing, Jagai and Madhai.
  13587. 47Song: Come, will you take Kishori's love? the flood-tide of love is flowing. Love is flowing, oh, in a hundred streams; each gets as much as he wants.…
  13588. 48As they listened to the songs, two or three of the devotees went into bhava—Khoka—Manindra—and Latu! Latu had been sitting beside Niranjan. When the s…
  13589. 49Doctor: I am not dead, surely, that nux vomica should be given.
  13590. 50Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: May your avidya die!
  13591. 51Doctor: I have never at any time had avidya.
  13592. 52The doctor had taken avidya to mean a woman of bad character.
  13593. 53Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Oh, no! In a sannyasi the mother, avidya, dies, and the child, viveka, is born. When the mother avidya dies there is the imp…
  13594. 54Hariballabh has come. The Master says, "Seeing you brings me joy." Hariballabh is most humble. Sitting on the bare floor below the mat, he is fanning…
  13595. 55Professor Nilmani is sitting near by. The Master is showing him honour and says, Today is a great day for me. A little later the doctor and his friend…
  13596. 56Chapter Three
  13597. 57The Kali Puja of the Mother of the Universe
  13598. 58Autumn, the new moon, seven o'clock at night. In that same upstairs room everything for the worship has been made ready. Flowers of many kinds, sandal…
  13599. 59The Master says, "Bring the incense." A little later the Master offered everything to the Mother of the Universe. M. is sitting near him. Looking towa…
  13600. 60In a moment Girish laid a garland at the Master's lotus feet. M. too offered scent and flowers. Right after him, Rakhal. Then Ram and all the other de…
  13601. 61Niranjan, offering flowers at his feet and crying Brahmamayi, Brahmamayi, falls flat on the ground and bows with his head at the feet. The devotees al…
  13602. 62Even as they watch, the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, has gone into samadhi. What a wonder! The devotees are seeing a marvellous transformation. The Master…
  13603. 63All, struck dumb, are gazing on this marvellous form of the Mother of the Universe, Giver of boons and of fearlessness.
  13604. 64Now the devotees are offering hymns of praise. One of them sings a hymn as a song, and all join in and sing with one voice.
  13605. 65Girish is singing a hymn:
  13606. 66Who is this, a dense blue rain-cloud amid the assembly of the gods? Who is this, whose pair of feet, red lotuses, shines upon a breast? Who is this, t…
  13607. 67He sings again—
  13608. 68Saviour of the lowly, Remover of sin, Holder of the three gunas—sattva, rajas, tamas; Who creates, preserves and destroys, possessed of Your own gunas…
  13609. 69Behari is singing a hymn—
  13610. 70The longing of my heart, Syama, seated on a corpse, hear, Mother, as I tell it: Rise within my heart, Mother, when I am laid at the river's edge to di…
  13611. 71Mani is singing with the devotees—
  13612. 72All is Your will, Mother; You are Tara, the Mistress of will; Your own work You do, Mother, and people say, I do it. The elephant You make fast in the…
  13613. 73Song: By Your mercy, Mother, all things can come to pass. Obstacles and hindrances like mountains none can cross go far away. You are the treasure-hou…
  13614. 74Song: O Mother, being the Blissful One, do not make me joyless.
  13615. 75Song: In the thick darkness, Mother, that beauty of Yours flashes out.
  13616. 76The Master has come back to the normal state. He bids them sing this song—
  13617. 77Song: In what play You dwell at what moment, Mother Syama, river of nectar-waves.
  13618. 78When the song is over, the Master again bids them—
  13619. 79Song: Ever sporting with Siva, She is drowned in bliss. Drunk with nectar She reels and reels, and yet She does not fall—Mother.
  13620. 80For the devotees' joy the Master is putting a little rice pudding to his lips. But he became wholly overcome with bhava, unconscious of the outer worl…
  13621. 81A little later the devotees all bowed to the Master, took the prasad and went to the drawing-room, and there, rejoicing together, they partook of that…
  13622. 82Rejoicing all the way, the devotees reached Surendra's house in Simla Street. With great care Surendra took them to the upstairs drawing-room and seat…
  13623. 83By the time the devotees had taken prasad at Surendra's house and returned home, it was nearly past the second watch of the night.
  13624. 1Section Thirty-one
  13625. 2With Narendra and Other Devotees in the Garden at Cossipore
  13626. 3Chapter One
  13627. 4Sri Ramakrishna, Ocean of Grace—M., Niranjan, Bhavanath
  13628. 5Sri Ramakrishna is living at Cossipore with the devotees. So much illness—and yet a single thought: how the devotees may come to good. Night and day h…
  13629. 6On Friday the eleventh of December, the twenty-seventh of Agrahayan, on the bright fifth, the Master came from Syampukur to the garden at Cossipore. T…
  13630. 7The devotees have almost all gathered. From 1881 the devotees have been coming. The last of them have all arrived. Towards the end of 1884 Sashi and S…
  13631. 8This morning love is flowing in abundance. He says to Niranjan, "You are my father; I will sit in your lap." He touches Kalipada's chest and says, "Be…
  13632. 9Today is Wednesday, the ninth of Paush, the second lunar day of the waning moon of Agrahayan, the twenty-third of December 1885. It is evening. The Ma…
  13633. 10After a while the Master is talking in a very soft voice with one or two devotees. In the room are Kali, Chunilal, M., Navagopal, Sashi, Niranjan and…
  13634. 11Sri Ramakrishna: You will buy a stool and bring it—for this place. How much will they ask?
  13635. 12M.: Sir, somewhere within two or three rupees.
  13636. 13Sri Ramakrishna: If a low wooden seat is twelve annas, why should that cost so much?
  13637. 14M.: It won't come to more—it will be done within that!
  13638. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Well, and tomorrow is Thursday's inauspicious hour—can't you come before three o'clock?
  13639. 16M.: As you say, sir; I will come.
  13640. 17Is Sri Ramakrishna an Avatar? The Hidden Purpose of the Illness
  13641. 18Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Well, in how many days will this illness get better?
  13642. 19M.: It has gone a little far—it will take time.
  13643. 20Sri Ramakrishna: How many days?
  13644. 21M.: It may be five or six months.
  13645. 22At this the Master grew impatient like a child. And he says, "What are you saying?"
  13646. 23M.: Sir, for it all to heal.
  13647. 24Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, that's what you mean!—Well, so many visions of divine forms, bhava, samadhi!—then why such an illness?
  13648. 25M.: Sir, there is great suffering, it is true, but there is a purpose.
  13649. 26Sri Ramakrishna: What purpose?
  13650. 27M.: Your state will change—a leaning towards the formless is coming.—Even the 'I of vidya' is not staying.
  13651. 28Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, the teaching of people is coming to a stop—I cannot speak any more. I see everything as full of Rama.—At times it comes to my mi…
  13652. 29"Surely there won't be a signboard, as with Krishnaprasanna Sen or Shashadhar—'Lecture at such-and-such an hour!'" The Master and M. laughed.
  13653. 30M.: And one more purpose: the sifting of people. What would not have come from five years of tapasya has come to the devotees in these few days. Sadha…
  13654. 31Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, that has come about, it is true. Niranjan here had gone home." To Niranjan: "Come, tell me what you feel."
  13655. 32Niranjan: Sir, there was love before, it is true—but now there's no way I could bear to stay away!
  13656. 33M.: One day I saw what great people these are!
  13657. 34Sri Ramakrishna: Where?
  13658. 35M.: Sir, I saw it in the Syampukur house, standing to one side. It seemed to me that each one of them had pushed past so many obstacles and hindrances…
  13659. 36In the Temple of Samadhi—A Wonderful State—The Formless—The Choosing of the Inner Circle
  13660. 37Listening to these words, the Master is passing into bhava. For some time he remained still. In samadhi!
  13661. 38When the bhava had subsided he says to M., "I saw everything going from what has form into the formless! I want to speak of other things, but I cannot…
  13662. 39"Well, this leaning towards the formless—that is only for dissolving away; isn't it?"
  13663. 40M., amazed: Sir, so it must be!
  13664. 41Sri Ramakrishna: I am still seeing the formless, indivisible Satchidananda, there just like this!...... But I held it down with great difficulty.
  13665. 42"What you say about the sifting of people is right. With this illness it is coming to light who is of the inner circle and who of the outer. Those who…
  13666. 43"Didn't you see Bhavanath? He came to Syampukur got up as a bridegroom. He asked, 'How are you,' and after that there has been no sight of him! For Na…
  13667. 44Chapter Two
  13668. 45His Life in His Own Words—Who Is Sri Ramakrishna? Spoken Freely
  13669. 46All the rishis speak of You so, and the divine sage Narada too, Asita, Devala and Vyasa; and You Yourself tell it to me.
  13670. 47Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: When He takes on a body for the sake of the devotee and comes, then the devotees too come along with Him. Some are of the in…
  13671. 48"At ten or eleven, going to see Visalakshi in my village, I had this state in the meadow. What I saw!—altogether lost to the outer world!
  13672. 49"When I was twenty-two or twenty-three,* in the Kali temple (at Dakshineswar) I was asked, 'Do you want to become Akshara?'—I didn't know what Akshara…
  13673. 50* At twenty-two or twenty-three, in 1858/59, this state came for the first time.
  13674. 51"When the arati was being done, I would shout from the roof of the kuthi, 'O devotees, whoever and wherever you are, come! I am dying in the company o…
  13675. 52"Again, I was shown five servitors. First, Sejo Babu (Mathur Babu), then Sambhu Mallick—I had never seen him before. In bhava I saw a man of fair comp…
  13676. 53"When this state came, someone exactly like me came and swept clean the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna nerves, all of them! In each lotus of the six centre…
  13677. 54"Whatever kind of person was to come, it would be shown to me beforehand! With these eyes—not in bhava—I saw Chaitanyadeva's sankirtan going from the…
  13678. 55"Under the banyan I had seen a boy. Hride said, then you will have a son. I said, 'But to me every woman is mother! How will I have a son?' That boy i…
  13679. 56"I said, Mother, if You have put me in such a state, then find me a rich man. That is why Sejo Babu served for fourteen years.* What all he did!—he se…
  13680. 57* Mathur's fourteen years of service: from 1858 to 1871. Mathur died on the first of Sravan 1278, the fourteenth of July 1871.
  13681. 58"Vijay has seen this form (that is, the Master's form). What is this, tell me? He says, I touched it just as one touches you.
  13682. 59"Noto (Latu) counted thirty-one devotees. Where are there so very many—where! But Kedar and Vijay are making a number of them!
  13683. 60"In bhava I was shown that at the end I would have to live on rice pudding!
  13684. 61"In this illness my wife (the devotees' Holy Mother) was feeding me rice pudding; then I wept, saying—so this is the eating of rice pudding! In this p…
  13685. 1Section Twenty-Three
  13686. 2With the Devotees in the Cossipore Garden
  13687. 3Chapter One
  13688. 4Narendra's Longing for God
  13689. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in that familiar room upstairs in the Cossipore garden. Sri Ram Chatterji had come from the Dakshineswar Kali temple to ask…
  13690. 6Today is the twenty-first of Paush, the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, Monday, the fourth of January 1886. It is afternoon—past four o'clock.
  13691. 7Narendra came and sat down. The Master is looking at him every so often and smiling a little as he gazes towards him—as if his affection were welling…
  13692. 8Everyone is silent. This time Narendra speaks—
  13693. 9Narendra: I have a mind to go there today.
  13694. 10Sri Ramakrishna: Where?
  13695. 11Narendra: To Dakshineswar—under the bel tree—I'll light a dhuni fire there at night.
  13696. 12Sri Ramakrishna: No; they—the men in charge of the magazine—won't let you. The Panchavati is a fine place—many sadhus have done meditation and japa th…
  13697. 13"But it is very cold, and dark."
  13698. 14Everyone is silent. The Master speaks again.
  13699. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra, smiling: Won't you study?
  13700. 16Narendra, looking at the Master and Mani: If I could get some medicine that would make me forget all the studying and such that I have done, I'd be sa…
  13701. 17Sri Gopal—the old one—is sitting there. He is saying—I too will go along with him. Sri Kalipada—Ghosh—had brought grapes for the Master. The box of gr…
  13702. 18Chapter Two
  13703. 19Sri Narendra's Longing for God, and His Intense Renunciation
  13704. 20It is evening. Narendra is sitting downstairs smoking, and in private he is telling Mani how his own heart is yearning.
  13705. 21Narendra, to Mani: Last Saturday I was meditating here. Suddenly something strange came over me inside my chest!
  13706. 22Mani: The awakening of the Kundalini.
  13707. 23Narendra: That must be it; I felt it plainly—the Ida and the Pingala. I told Hazra to put his hand on my chest and see.
  13708. 24"Yesterday, Sunday, I went upstairs and saw him, and told him everything.
  13709. 25"I said, 'It has come to everybody; give me something. It has come to everybody—won't it come to me?'
  13710. 26Mani: What did he say to you?
  13711. 27Narendra: He said, 'Go, make some arrangement for your home, and come; it will all come about. What do you want?'
  13712. 28Sri Ramkrishna and the Vedanta—Accepting Both the Nitya and the Lila
  13713. 29"I said—My wish is to stay absorbed in samadhi like that for three or four days! Every now and then, once at a time, I'd get up to eat!"
  13714. 30"He said—'Why, you are very small-minded! There is a state higher than that state. Why, you sing the song, 'Whatever is, is You alone."
  13715. 31Mani: Yes, he always says that, coming down from samadhi, one sees—He alone has become the jiva and the world, all this. He said this state can come t…
  13716. 32Narendra: He said—Go, make some arrangement for your home, and come; you will be able to reach a state higher even than the state of attaining samadhi…
  13717. 33"This morning I went home. They all began to scold—and said, 'What are you gadding about for? The law examination—the B.L.—is so near, there's no read…
  13718. 34Mani: Did your mother say anything?
  13719. 35Narendra: No, she was anxious to feed me; there was deer meat—I ate—but I had no wish to eat.
  13720. 36Mani: After that?
  13721. 37Narendra: I went to study at my grandmother's house, in that study room. When I went to study, a terrible dread came over me at the studying—as if stu…
  13722. 38"Then I flung down books and all, and ran!—a dash down the road. My shoes and all lay somewhere off to one side of the road! I was passing by a haysta…
  13723. 39Narendra is silent for a little. He speaks again.
  13724. 40Narendra: Hearing the Vivekachudamani has made my heart heavier still! Sankaracharya says—that these three things are won through much tapasya, throug…
  13725. 41Human birth, the longing for liberation, the shelter of a great soul.
  13726. 42"I thought, why, all three have come to me! By the fruit of much tapasya I was born a human being, by the fruit of much tapasya the longing for libera…
  13727. 43Mani: Ah!
  13728. 44Narendra: I have no more liking for worldly life. Those who are in the world, I don't like them either. Except one or two devotees.
  13729. 45Narendra is silent again in the same way. Intense renunciation within Narendra! His heart is still heaving and tossing. Narendra speaks again.
  13730. 46Narendra, to Mani: Peace has come to all of you; my heart is restless! It is you who are blessed!
  13731. 47Mani gave no answer; he is silent. He is thinking: the Master had said, one must yearn for God, and then the vision of God comes. Right after dusk Man…
  13732. 48It is about nine at night. Niranjan and Sashi are with the Master. The Master has woken. From time to time it is of Narendra that he speaks.
  13733. 49Sri Ramakrishna: How wonderful Narendra's state is! See, this Narendra at first did not accept the One with form! Do you see how his heart is heaving…
  13734. 50"When the heart heaves and tosses for God, know that the vision is close at hand. When the dawn breaks—when the east grows red—one can tell that the s…
  13735. 51The Master's illness has grown worse today. His body suffers so. Even so, he is saying all these things about Narendra—by signs.
  13736. 52Narendra has gone off to Dakshineswar this very night. Deep darkness—the new moon has set in. One or two devotees are with Narendra. Mani is staying t…
  13737. 1Chapter Three
  13738. 2The Devotees' Intense Renunciation—the World and the Torment of Hell
  13739. 3The next day, Tuesday, the fifth of January; the twenty-second of Paush. The new moon holds for a long while. It has struck four in the afternoon. The…
  13740. 4Sri Ramakrishna: If Kshirode goes to Gangasagar, then you buy him a blanket.
  13741. 5Mani: As you wish, sir.
  13742. 6The Master stays silent a little. Again he speaks.
  13743. 7Sri Ramakrishna: Well, tell me, what is this that is happening to the boys? One is running off to Sri Kshetra—another to Gangasagar!
  13744. 8"They are all coming away, giving up home. Look at Narendra. When renunciation is intense, the world feels like a well and one's own people feel like…
  13745. 9Mani: Yes, sir, there is terrible torment in the world!
  13746. 10Sri Ramakrishna: The torment of hell! From birth. Don't you see—what torment it is with wife and children.
  13747. 11Mani: Yes, sir. And you had said that they—those who have not entered the world—have no dealings of give and take; it is for give and take that one ha…
  13748. 12Sri Ramakrishna: Don't you see—Niranjan! "Here, take this of yours; give me this of mine"—and that is that! No other tie of any kind. No pull from beh…
  13749. 13"It is woman and gold that are the world. Don't you see, the moment there is money one feels like tying it up.
  13750. 14Mani burst out laughing, ho-ho. The Master laughed too.
  13751. 15Mani: "To take money out, a great deal of reckoning comes up." Both laughed. "But at Dakshineswar you had said that if one can live in the world havin…
  13752. 16Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, like a child.
  13753. 17Mani: Yes, sir, but it is very hard; great strength is needed.
  13754. 18The Master stays silent a little.
  13755. 19Mani: They went to Dakshineswar yesterday to meditate. I had a dream.
  13756. 20Sri Ramakrishna: What did you see?
  13757. 21Mani: I saw as though Narendra and the others have become sannyasis and are sitting with a dhuni fire lit. I too am sitting among them. They are smoki…
  13758. 22Who Is a Sannyasi—the Master's Illness and the State of a Child
  13759. 23Sri Ramakrishna: If there is renunciation in the mind, that is enough; even so one is a sannyasi.
  13760. 24The Master stays silent. Again he speaks.
  13761. 25Sri Ramakrishna: But one has to set fire to desire, and then indeed!
  13762. 26Mani: At Burrabazar you had said to the Marwaris' Panditji, "I do have the desire for bhakti."—The desire for bhakti, I suppose, is not counted among…
  13763. 27Sri Ramakrishna: Just as hinche greens are not counted among greens. The bile is kept down.
  13764. 28"Well, so much joy, bhava—where has all this gone?"
  13765. 29Mani: Perhaps the state of one beyond the three gunas that is spoken of in the Gita has come about. Sattva, rajas and tamas, the gunas, are working of…
  13766. 30Sri Ramakrishna: Yes; I have been kept in the state of a child.
  13767. 31"Well, will the body not last this time?"
  13768. 32The Master and Mani are silent. Narendra has come up from downstairs. He will go home for a while. He will make arrangements and come back.
  13769. 33Since his father's passing his mother and brothers have been in great hardship—at times in want of food. Narendra is their one hope—he is to earn and…
  13770. 34Narendra: "Let me go home for a while." To Mani: "I am going by way of Mahim Chakravarti's house; will you come?"
  13771. 35Mani has no wish to go; the Master, looking at him, asks Narendra—"Why"?
  13772. 36Narendra: "I am going by that road; I'll sit with him and have a little chat." The Master is looking at Narendra with a fixed gaze.
  13773. 37Narendra: "A friend from here has said he will lend me a hundred rupees. With that money I'll arrange for the household for three months and come back…
  13774. 38Mani, to Narendra: No, you go on ahead—I shall go later.
  13775. 1Section Thirty-Two
  13776. 2In the Cossipore Garden with Sri Narendra and Other Devotees
  13777. 3Chapter One
  13778. 4Teaching to Narendra on the Harmony of Jnanayoga and Bhaktiyoga
  13779. 5Sri Ramakrishna is staying with the devotees in the hall of the garden house at Cossipore. It is about eight o'clock at night. In the room are Narendr…
  13780. 6The Master is ill and is lying down for a while. The devotees are sitting near him. Sarat is standing and fanning him. The Master is speaking of his i…
  13781. 7Sri Ramakrishna: If one goes to Bholanath, he will give the oil. And he will tell how it has to be applied.
  13782. 8Buro Gopal: Then we will go tomorrow morning and fetch it.
  13783. 9M.: If someone goes today, he can explain it.
  13784. 10Sashi: I can go.
  13785. 11Sri Ramakrishna, pointing to Sarat: He can go.
  13786. 12After a while Sarat set out to fetch the oil from Sri Bholanath Mukhopadhyay, the clerk of the Dakshineswar temple.
  13787. 13The Master is lying down. The devotees are sitting without a sound. All at once the Master sits up. Addressing Narendra, he is speaking.
  13788. 14Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: Brahman is unstained. The three gunas are in Him, but He is unattached.
  13789. 15"As in the air both sweet smells and foul are found, yet the air is unattached. 'Sankaracharya was going along a road in Kasi! A chandala was going al…
  13790. 16"Brahman and maya. The jnani throws maya away.
  13791. 17"Maya is of the nature of a covering. See, I have made a screen of this towel—and the light of the lamp can no longer be seen.
  13792. 18The Master holds the towel between himself and the devotees! He is saying, "Look here, my face can no longer be seen.
  13793. 19"As Ramprasad has said—'Lift the mosquito net and look—
  13794. 20"But the bhakta does not give maya up. He worships Mahamaya. Having taken refuge in Her, he says, 'Mother, leave the way open! Only when You leave the…
  13795. 21"As long as the I is there, one sees that He alone is maya; that He has become the jiva and the world, the twenty-four tattvas, everything!
  13796. 22Narendra and the others are silent.
  13797. 23"Mayavada is dry. What did I say? Tell me."
  13798. 24Narendra: Dry.
  13799. 25The Master begins to touch Narendra's hands and face. Again he is speaking—"These (all of Narendra's) are the marks of a bhakta. The jnani has other m…
  13800. 26"Even after gaining knowledge the jnani can keep to vidyamaya—bhakti, compassion, dispassion—he can keep to all these. There are two purposes in this.…
  13801. 27"If the jnani goes into samadhi and stays silent, then people are not taught. That is why Sankaracharya kept the 'I of vidya'.
  13802. 28"And to enjoy the bliss of God—to enjoy it to the full—he keeps to bhakti and the bhaktas!
  13803. 29"This 'I of vidya,' the 'I of the bhakta'—there is no harm in these. In the 'wicked I' there is harm. After one has the vision of Him, one's nature be…
  13804. 30"Having reached the Nitya, to stay again in the Lila! It is like going to the other shore and coming back again to this one. For the teaching of peopl…
  13805. 31The Master is speaking in a very low voice. He falls silent for a while. Again he is saying to the devotees—"This illness of the body—but avidya maya…
  13806. 32"He alone has kept the vidyamaya—for people—for the bhaktas.
  13807. 33"But if vidyamaya remains, one will have to come again. The Avatars and the like keep vidyamaya. Let a little desire remain, and one has to come—has t…
  13808. 34"If anyone gives up the body in Kasi, then there is liberation—one does not have to come again. Liberation is for the jnanis."
  13809. 35Narendra: The other day we went to Mahim Chakravarti's house.
  13810. 36Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: And then?
  13811. 37Narendra: I have never seen a jnani as dry as he is!
  13812. 38Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: What happened?
  13813. 39Narendra: He told us to sing. Gangadhar sang—
  13814. 40Given life by the name of Syam, she looks this way and that, And before her she sees a tamala tree!
  13815. 41"Hearing the song he said—Why songs like that? I don't like love and all that. Besides, I live with wife and children; why songs like these here?"
  13816. 42Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: You have seen the fear.
  13817. 1Section Twenty-Four
  13818. 2Sri Ramakrishna with His Intimate Companions in the Cossipore Garden
  13819. 3Chapter One
  13820. 4Sri Ramakrishna Bears the Body for the Devotee
  13821. 5Sri Ramakrishna is staying in the garden at Cossipore. Evening has come on. The Master is ill. He is sitting in the hall upstairs, facing north. Naren…
  13822. 6Today is Sunday, the fourteenth of March, 1886; the second of Chaitra, the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Phalgun. Last Sunday, for the Master's…
  13823. 7The devotees are present in the garden at all times and are serving the Master. Holy Mother is engaged in that service night and day. Many of the youn…
  13824. 8The older devotees stay from time to time, and almost every day they come to see the Master or take away news of him. Tarak and Gopal of Sinthi, these…
  13825. 9The Master is gravely ill today too. It is midnight. Today is the ninth day of the bright fortnight, and in the moonlight the garden seems to be steep…
  13826. 10Is this sleep, or the great yoga? 'Established in which, one is not shaken even by heavy sorrow!' Is this that state of yoga?
  13827. 11M. is sitting near him. With a sign the Master is telling him to come still closer. At the sight of the Master's suffering a stone melts! Softly, soft…
  13828. 12Hearing these words, the devotees' hearts are breaking. He who is their father, mother and protector is saying this!—Everyone is silent. Someone is th…
  13829. 13It is the depth of night. The Master's illness seems to be growing worse still! What can be done? A man was sent to Calcutta. In that depth of night G…
  13830. 14The devotees are sitting near him. The Master is getting a little better. He is saying, "The body's illness, that will happen; I see it is a body of t…
  13831. 15Looking towards Girish, he is saying—"I am seeing many divine forms! Among them I am seeing this form too (his own figure)!"
  13832. 1Chapter Two
  13833. 2In the Temple of Samadhi
  13834. 3The next day, in the morning. Today is Monday, the third of Chaitra, the fifteenth of March 1886. It must be seven or eight o'clock. The Master has re…
  13835. 4No word comes from the devotees' lips. Remembering the state of the Master's body the night before, they sit silent, their faces grave with sorrow.
  13836. 5[The Master's Vision: God, the Jiva, the World]
  13837. 6Sri Ramakrishna, looking at M., to the devotees: What am I seeing—do you know? He has become everything! Men and whatever other creatures I see seem a…
  13838. 7"I am seeing—He it is who has become the smith, He the victim, He the sacrificial block!"
  13839. 8Is the Master saying that, grieved by the sufferings of living beings, he is offering up his own body as a sacrifice for their good?
  13840. 9God alone has become the smith, the victim and the block. As he says this the Master is overwhelmed with bhava, and says, "Aha! Aha!"
  13841. 10Again that state of bhava! The Master is losing outward consciousness. The devotees, not knowing what to do, sit silent.
  13842. 11Coming a little to his normal state, the Master says, "There is no pain in me at all now; it is exactly the former state."
  13843. 12Seeing the Master in this state beyond happiness and sorrow, the devotees are struck with wonder. Looking toward Latu, he says again:
  13844. 13"There is Leto—sitting with his head in his hand—it is He alone (God alone) who seems to be sitting with His head in His hand!"
  13845. 14The Master is looking at the devotees and seems to be melting with love. As one fondles a little child, so he is fondling Rakhal and Narendra! He stro…
  13846. 15[Why the Play Is Drawn to a Close]
  13847. 16After a little while he says to M., "Had the body lasted some days, people would have awakened." Again the Master is silent.
  13848. 17Again the Master says, "That will not be kept."
  13849. 18The devotees are wondering what the Master will say next. Again the Master says, "That will not be kept—lest people, seeing a simple fool, should impo…
  13850. 19Rakhal, tenderly: Please say it—so that your body may stay.
  13851. 20Sri Ramakrishna: That is God's will.
  13852. 21Narendra: Your will and the will of God have become one.
  13853. 22The Master is silent a while—as if he were thinking of something.
  13854. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra, Rakhal and the other devotees: And would saying it make it happen?
  13855. 24"Now I see it has become one. Srimati, afraid of her sister-in-law, said to Krishna, 'Stay within my heart.' When again, restless with longing, she wa…
  13856. 25Rakhal, to the devotees, softly: He is speaking of the Gaur Avatar.
  13857. 26Chapter Three
  13858. 27A Secret Matter: Sri Ramakrishna and His Companions
  13859. 28The devotees sit hushed. The Master is looking at the devotees with love; he places his hand on his own heart—what is he going to say?—
  13860. 29Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra and the others: Within this there are two. One is He.
  13861. 30The devotees wait to hear what he will say next.
  13862. 31Sri Ramakrishna: One is He—and the other has become the devotee. It was his arm that had been broken—it is he who has this illness. Do you understand?
  13863. 32The devotees sit silent.
  13864. 33Sri Ramakrishna: Whom shall I tell, and who will understand.
  13865. 34After a while the Master speaks again:
  13866. 35"He comes as man—as Avatar—with His devotees. It is with Him that the devotees go away again."
  13867. 36Rakhal: So may you not go away and leave us behind.
  13868. 37The Master is smiling softly. He says, "A band of bauls came all of a sudden—they danced, they sang; and then all of a sudden they went away! They cam…
  13869. 38After some moments of silence the Master says again:
  13870. 39"When one takes on a body, there must be suffering.
  13871. 40"At times I say, may I not have to come again.
  13872. 41"But then—there is one thing. After eating at feast after feast, the kalai dal and rice of home no longer taste good.
  13873. 42"And this taking of a body—it is for the devotee."
  13874. 43Is the Master saying that he loves the devotee's offering of food—the devotee's invitation—moving among the devotees?
  13875. 44[Narendra's Knowledge and Devotion: Narendra and Giving Up the World]
  13876. 45The Master is looking at Narendra with love.
  13877. 46Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: A chandala was going along with a load of meat. Sankaracharya, having bathed in the Ganges, was passing close by. Sudden…
  13878. 47"Know what Brahman is like. Like the air. Foul smells and good smells—all come on the air, but the air is unattached."
  13879. 48Narendra: Yes, sir.
  13880. 49Sri Ramakrishna: Beyond the gunas. Beyond maya. Beyond both—avidyamaya and vidyamaya. Woman and gold are avidya. Knowledge, dispassion, devotion—these…
  13881. 50"Holding on to vidyamaya step by step one attains that Knowledge of Brahman. As there is the top step of the stair—and after that the roof. Some peopl…
  13882. 51Narendra and the other devotees are silent. Is the Master telling of all this as his own state?
  13883. 52Narendra: Some people are angry with me when I talk of giving up.
  13884. 53Sri Ramakrishna, softly: Renunciation is needed.
  13885. 54Pointing to the different parts of his own body, the Master says, "If one thing lies on top of another, then to get at the first thing, will you not h…
  13886. 55Narendra: Yes, sir.
  13887. 56Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra, softly: When one sees everything as full of That, can one see anything else?
  13888. 57Narendra: Must one really give up the world?
  13889. 58Sri Ramakrishna: As I said, when one sees everything as full of That, can one see anything else? Can one see any world or such any more?
  13890. 59"But it is renunciation in the mind. Of those who come here, none is worldly. Some had a little desire—to live with a woman. Rakhal, M. and others smi…
  13891. 60[Narendra and the Heroic Bhava]
  13892. 61The Master is looking at Narendra with love. As he looks, he seems to be filling with joy. Looking toward the devotees he says—'Much'! Narendra, smili…
  13893. 62Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Much renunciation is coming on.
  13894. 63Narendra and the devotees are silent, looking at the Master. Now Rakhal speaks.
  13895. 64Rakhal, to the Master, smiling: Narendra is understanding you very well.
  13896. 65The Master laughs and says, "Yes, and I see that many are understanding! (To M.) Isn't it so?"
  13897. 66M.: Yes, sir.
  13898. 67The Master is looking at Narendra and Mani, and with a gesture of his hand he is pointing them out to Rakhal and the other devotees. First, with a sig…
  13899. 68Rakhal, smiling, to Sri Ramakrishna: Are you saying Narendra has the heroic bhava? And this one the bhava of a sakhi?
  13900. 69The Master is laughing.
  13901. 70Narendra, smiling: He does not talk much, and he is shy; that, I suppose, is why you say it.
  13902. 71Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Narendra: Well, what is my bhava?
  13903. 72Narendra: The heroic bhava, the bhava of a sakhi—every bhava.
  13904. 73[Sri Ramakrishna: Who Is He?]
  13905. 74Hearing these words the Master seems filled with bhava; with his hand on his heart, what is he saying!
  13906. 75Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra and the other devotees: I am seeing that from within this alone is everything that is.
  13907. 76With a sign to Narendra he asks, "What did you understand?"
  13908. 77Narendra: ("Whatever there is" means) all created things are from within you!
  13909. 78Sri Ramakrishna, to Rakhal, joyfully: Do you see!
  13910. 79The Master asks Narendra to sing a little. Narendra is singing to a tune. Narendra's mood is renunciation; he sings:
  13911. 80"As trembling as water on a lotus leaf, so very fickle is this life; Here, a moment's company of the good is the one boat for crossing the ocean of th…
  13912. 81After one or two lines of the song the Master makes a sign to Narendra and says, "What is that! All those moods are very ordinary!"
  13913. 82Now Narendra sings a song in the bhava of a sakhi:
  13914. 83Why, friend, this law of living and dying! The youth of Braja, friend, where has he fled? He has broken the hearts of the folk of Braja. Finding a lad…
  13915. 84Hearing the song the Master and the devotees are enchanted. Tears of love are falling from the eyes of the Master and of Rakhal. Narendra, again drunk…
  13916. 85You are mine, my own beloved; (what shall I call you, what shall I call you, I call you Lord). (What do I know, what can I say, an unlucky one, born a…
  13917. 1Section Twenty-Five
  13918. 2Sri Ramakrishna with Narendra and Other Devotees in the Cossipore Garden
  13919. 3Chapter One
  13920. 4The Buddha and Sri Ramakrishna
  13921. 5Sri Ramakrishna is with the devotees in the garden at Cossipore. Today is Friday; it is five o'clock in the afternoon, the fifth day of the bright for…
  13922. 6Narendra, Kali, Niranjan and M. are sitting downstairs and talking.
  13923. 7Niranjan, to M.: Vidyasagar is going to have a new school, I hear? Getting Narendra some post in it—
  13924. 8Narendra: No more need to take service under Vidyasagar!
  13925. 9Narendra has only just come back from Buddha Gaya. There he has seen the image of the Buddha, and before that image he had sunk into deep meditation.…
  13926. 10Sri Ramakrishna is seated on his bed in the hall. Some dandas of the night have passed. Mani, alone, is plying the fan.—Latu came and sat down.
  13927. 11Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Bring a chadar to wrap the body in, and a pair of slippers.
  13928. 12Mani: As you wish, sir.
  13929. 13Sri Ramakrishna, to Latu: The chadar ten annas, and the slippers—what is the price in all?
  13930. 14Latu: One rupee and ten annas.
  13931. 15The Master made a sign to Mani to listen to what it would cost.
  13932. 16Narendra came and took his seat. Sashi, Rakhal and a devotee or two besides came and sat down. The Master is asking Narendra to stroke his feet.
  13933. 17With a sign Sri Ramakrishna says to Narendra—"Have you eaten?"
  13934. 18Was the Buddha an Atheist?—'The State Between Asti and Nasti'
  13935. 19Sri Ramakrishna, to M., smiling: He went there (that is, to Buddha Gaya).
  13936. 20M., to Narendra: What is the Buddha's doctrine?
  13937. 21Narendra: What he gained after his austerities, that he could not say in words. So everyone calls him an atheist.
  13938. 22Sri Ramakrishna, by a sign: Why an atheist? He is no atheist; he could not say it in words. Do you know what Buddha is? Thinking and thinking of That…
  13939. 23Narendra: Yes, sir. Of these there are three classes—Buddha, Arhat and Bodhisattva.
  13940. 24Sri Ramakrishna: This is His own play—a new lila.
  13941. 25"Why should he be an atheist! Where one comes to know one's own true nature, there is the state between asti and nasti, is and is not."
  13942. 26Narendra, to M.: The state in which contradictions meet—the hydrogen and oxygen from which cool water is made, with that very hydrogen and oxygen the…
  13943. 27"The state in which work and the giving up of work are both possible, that is, work without desire.
  13944. 28"Those who are worldly, who stay wrapped up in the objects of the senses, have said that all is 'asti'; again the Mayavadis are saying—'nasti'; the Bu…
  13945. 29Sri Ramakrishna: This asti and nasti are qualities of Prakriti. Where it is just so, truly just so, there it is free of asti and nasti.
  13946. 30For a while the devotees all sit silent. The Master speaks again.
  13947. 31The Buddha's Compassion and Renunciation, and Narendra
  13948. 32Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: What is their view (the Buddha's)?
  13949. 33Narendra: Whether God is or is not, the Buddha would not speak of such things. But he lived in compassion.
  13950. 34"A hawk had caught its prey and was about to eat it; to save the life of that prey the Buddha gave the hawk the flesh of his own body."
  13951. 35The Master, Sri Ramakrishna, sits silent. Narendra goes on speaking of the Buddha with fervour.
  13952. 36Narendra: What renunciation! A king's son, and he gave up everything! Those who have nothing—no wealth of any kind—what is there for them to give up.
  13953. 37"When he had become the Buddha and attained nirvana and came home once, he told his wife, his son—many of the royal line—to take up renunciation. What…
  13954. 38The Master sits silent. Still he says not a word.
  13955. 39Narendra: He (the Buddha) would accept nothing of Sakti and all that.—Only nirvana. What renunciation! He sat down at the foot of a tree to practise a…
  13956. 40"It is the body that is the rogue!—Unless it is tamed, can anything come of it!—"
  13957. 41Sashi: But you say that eating meat brings sattva.—You do say that meat ought to be eaten.
  13958. 42Narendra: Just as I eat meat—so too (giving up meat) I can eat plain rice—I can eat plain rice even without salt.
  13959. 43After a while the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, speaks. Again, by a sign, he asks about the Buddha.
  13960. 44Sri Ramakrishna: Is there a topknot on (the Buddha's) head?
  13961. 45Narendra: No, sir; on his head is something like what you get when many rudraksha rosaries are heaped together.
  13962. 46Sri Ramakrishna: The eyes?
  13963. 47Narendra: The eyes are in samadhi.
  13964. 48Sri Ramakrishna's Direct Vision—'I Myself Am He'
  13965. 49The Master sits silent. Narendra and the other devotees are gazing at him intently. Suddenly, smiling a little, he began again to talk with Narendra.…
  13966. 50Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: Well—everything is here, isn't it?—down to red lentils, gram dal and tamarind.
  13967. 51Narendra: You have lived through all those states and are staying below!—
  13968. 52Mani, to himself: Having lived through all the states—in the state of the devotee!—
  13969. 53Sri Ramakrishna: It is as if someone has pulled me down and kept me there!
  13970. 54Saying this, the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, took the fan from Mani's hand and again began to speak.
  13971. 55Sri Ramakrishna: Just as I am seeing this fan in front of me—directly—exactly so have I seen (God)! And I saw—
  13972. 56Saying this, the Master puts his hand to his own heart and makes a sign, and says to Narendra, "What did I say? Tell me."
  13973. 57Narendra: I have understood.
  13974. 58Sri Ramakrishna: Tell me, then?
  13975. 59Narendra: I did not hear well.
  13976. 60Sri Ramakrishna signs again—I saw that He (God) and the One who is within the heart are one Person.
  13977. 61Narendra: Yes, yes, Soham.
  13978. 62Sri Ramakrishna: But a mere line is there—(the 'I of the devotee' is there) for the sake of enjoying.
  13979. 63Narendra, to M.: A great soul, having himself been set free, stays on to set jivas free—he lives with the ego—he lives with the pleasure and pain of t…
  13980. 64"It is like porter's work. Our porter's work is on compulsion (because we are driven to it). A great soul does porter's work for the joy of it."
  13981. 65Sri Ramakrishna and the Guru's Grace
  13982. 66Again all sit silent. Sri Ramakrishna, the ocean of causeless grace, speaks again. Who he himself is—this truth he is again making Narendra and the ot…
  13983. 67Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra and the other devotees: The roof can be seen, true!—but climbing on to the roof is very hard!
  13984. 68Narendra: Yes, sir.
  13985. 69Sri Ramakrishna: But if someone has climbed up, he can throw down a rope and pull up another.
  13986. 70Sri Ramakrishna's Five Kinds of Samadhi
  13987. 71"The sadhu from Hrishikesh had come. He said (to me)—'What a wonder! I have seen five kinds of samadhi in you!
  13988. 72"Sometimes kapivat—in the tree of the body the Mahavayu, like a monkey, leaps up at a bound as it were from this branch to that, and samadhi comes.
  13989. 73'Sometimes minavat—just as a fish slips swish, swish through the water and swims about happily, so the Mahavayu goes on moving within the body, and sa…
  13990. 74"Sometimes again pakshivat—in the tree of the body, like a bird, now on this branch, now on that.
  13991. 75"Sometimes pipilikavat—the Mahavayu climbs within little by little like an ant, and then, when the vayu rises to the Sahasrara, samadhi comes. Sometim…
  13992. 76Rakhal, to the devotees: Let there be no more talk—a great deal has been said—it will bring on illness.
  13993. 1Section Twenty-Six
  13994. 2Sri Ramakrishna with His Companions in the Cossipore Garden
  13995. 3Chapter One
  13996. 4With the Devotees in the Cossipore Garden
  13997. 5Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on his bed in that upstairs room in the garden at Cossipore. Sashi and Mani are in the room. The Master is making a sign to…
  13998. 6It is afternoon, between five and six o'clock. Monday, the Charak Sankranti, the Mahashtami worship of Basanti. The bright eighth of Chaitra, the thir…
  13999. 7The Charak is going on right there in the neighbourhood. The Master had sent a devotee to buy some things at the Charak. The devotee has come back.
  14000. 8Sri Ramakrishna: What things did you bring?
  14001. 9A devotee: Sugar-drops, one pice; a vegetable-cutter, two pice; a ladle, two pice.
  14002. 10Sri Ramakrishna: Where is the knife?
  14003. 11A devotee: They would not give it for two pice.
  14004. 12Sri Ramakrishna, eagerly: Go, go, bring a knife.
  14005. 13M. is walking about downstairs. Narendra and Tarak came back from Calcutta. They had been to Girish Ghosh's house and to other places.
  14006. 14Tarak: Today we ate a lot of meat and the like.
  14007. 15Narendra: Today the mind has come down a good deal. Set about tapasya.
  14008. 16To M.: "What Slavery of body—of mind! (Slavery of the body, slavery of the mind!) Just as if it were the state of a hired porter! As if body and mind…
  14009. 17Dusk has fallen; lamps were lit in the upstairs room and in other places. The Master is sitting on the bed facing north; he is meditating on the Mothe…
  14010. 18When I dwelt in a former body I took no refuge at Your two feet, nor did I worship them; so today I am pressed hard by throngs of disgrace and by the…
  14011. 19Sashi, Mani and one or two other devotees are in the room.
  14012. 20The recitation of the hymn came to an end. Sri Ramakrishna, with deep devotion, is saluting with joined palms.
  14013. 21Mani is fanning. The Master, by signs, is saying to him, "You will bring a stone cup." As he said this he drew the shape of the stone cup with his fin…
  14014. 22Mani: Yes, sir.
  14015. 23Sri Ramakrishna: Broth taken from any of the other cups smells of fish.
  14016. 1Chapter Two
  14017. 2Has an Isvarakoti Any Fruit of Karma, Any Prarabdha? The Yogavasishtha
  14018. 3The next day, Tuesday, Ram Navami; the first of Baisakh, the thirteenth of April, 1886. Morning: Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on his bed in the upstairs…
  14019. 4Sri Ramakrishna, to Ram: How does it look to you?
  14020. 5Ram: You have everything. In a moment the whole talk of the illness will come up.
  14021. 6Sri Ramakrishna smiled faintly, and making a sign, he asks Ram himself: "Will the illness be talked of too?"
  14022. 7The Master has a pair of slippers; they hurt his feet. Doctor Rajendra Datta has asked for the measurement: he will have a pair made to order and brin…
  14023. 8Sri Ramakrishna makes a sign to Mani: "Where is the stone cup?" Mani at once stood up: he will go to Calcutta to fetch the stone cup.
  14024. 9Sri Ramakrishna says, "Let it be, let it be for now."
  14025. 10Mani: No, sir. These gentlemen are all going; I will go along with them.
  14026. 11At a shop on the Jorasanko crossing of Natun Bazar, Mani bought a white stone cup. It was midday by the time he came back to Cossipore; coming up to t…
  14027. 12Doctor Srinath, to his friends: All are subject to Prakriti. No one can escape the fruit of karma! Prarabdha!
  14028. 13Sri Ramakrishna: Why, if one takes His name, if one thinks of Him, if one takes refuge in Him—
  14029. 14Srinath: Sir, where will prarabdha go? It is the karma of births gone before.
  14030. 15Sri Ramakrishna: Some of the fruit of karma is suffered. But by the power of His name many bonds of karma are cut. There was a man who, for the karma…
  14031. 16Srinath: Sir, it is surely there in the scriptures: no one at all can escape the fruit of karma.
  14032. 17Doctor Srinath is ready to argue.
  14033. 18Sri Ramakrishna, to Mani: Do say it: there is a great difference between an Isvarakoti and a jivakoti. An Isvarakoti commits no offence. Do say it.
  14034. 19Mani keeps silent; Mani says to Rakhal, "You say it."
  14035. 20After a while the doctors went away. The Master is talking with Sri Rakhal Haldar.
  14036. 21Haldar: Doctor Srinath goes in for Vedanta; he reads the Yogavasishtha.
  14037. 22Sri Ramakrishna: When one is a man of the world, "everything is like a dream"—views like that are not good.
  14038. 23A devotee: That man called Kalidas—he too goes in for Vedanta; but he has lost everything by going to law.
  14039. 24Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "All is maya—and then a lawsuit!" Then, to Rakhal: "The Mukherji of Janai was talking very big at first; then in the end he…
  14040. 25Sri Ramakrishna's Hair Stands on End, Looking at the Conquest of Lust
  14041. 26Haldar: I have seen a great deal of jnana. If only a little bhakti would come, I should be saved. The other day I came here with something on my mind,…
  14042. 27Sri Ramakrishna, eagerly: What, what?
  14043. 28Haldar: Sir, when this boy came in, you said that—he has mastered his senses.
  14044. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Yes indeed! Into him—the younger Naren—worldly-mindedness has never entered at all! He says he doesn't know what is called lust.
  14045. 30To Mani: "Put your hand here and feel: my hair is standing on end!
  14046. 31The thought of this pure state, free of lust, makes the Master's hair stand on end. Where there is no lust, God is present. Thinking of this, is the M…
  14047. 32Rakhal Haldar took his leave.
  14048. 33Sri Ramakrishna is still sitting with the devotees. Pagli makes a great deal of trouble in her wish to see him. Pagli has the madhura bhava. She often…
  14049. 34Sashi: If Pagli comes this time, I'll drive her away with a shove.
  14050. 35Sri Ramakrishna, in a voice full of compassion: No, no. She will come; she will go away.
  14051. 36Rakhal: In the early days, when other people came to him, I used to feel jealous. Then in his grace he made it known to me: my guru is the blessed Gur…
  14052. 37Sashi: True, it isn't that—but why at the time of his illness? And such a nuisance!
  14053. 38Rakhal: Everybody makes a nuisance of himself. Has everyone come to him already pure? Have we not given him pain? What were Narendra and the others li…
  14054. 39Sashi: What Narendra would say with his lips, he would also do in deed.
  14055. 40Rakhal: How many things Doctor Sarkar has said to him! If you take it that way, no one is without fault.
  14056. 41Sri Ramakrishna, to Rakhal, affectionately: Will you eat something?
  14057. 42Rakhal: No—I'll eat by and by.
  14058. 43Sri Ramakrishna is signing to Mani: will you eat here today?
  14059. 44Rakhal: Do eat; he is saying so.
  14060. 45Like a boy of five, the Master is sitting among the devotees, naked. Just then Pagli has come up the stairs and is standing at the door of the room.
  14061. 46Mani, softly, to Sashi: Tell her to bow and go. There's no need to say anything.
  14062. 47Sashi brought Pagli downstairs.
  14063. 48Today the new year begins; many of the women devotees have come. They bowed down before the Master and Holy Mother and received their blessing. Sri Ba…
  14064. 49They came to the upstairs room to bow before the Master. Some put flowers and abir at the Master's lotus feet. Two of the devotees' girls, nine or ten…
  14065. 50I long to be soothed; where can I be soothed? From where do I come, where do I drift away? Again and again I come back, how much I weep, I laugh, Wher…
  14066. 51Song: Say Hari, Hari, O vina.
  14067. 52Song: There comes Kishori; look, there has come Your flute-bearer with the slanting eyes.
  14068. 53Song: Chant the name of Durga always, O my tongue; In peril, who but blessed Durga will rescue?
  14069. 54Sri Ramakrishna says by a sign, "Good, it is saying Mother, Mother!"
  14070. 55The brahmani has the nature of a child. Smiling, the Master signs to Rakhal, "Do ask her to sing." The brahmani is singing. The devotees are laughing.
  14071. 56'Hari, today I will play with you; I have found you alone in the Nidhuvana.'
  14072. 57The women went down from the upstairs room.
  14073. 58Afternoon. Mani and one or two devotees are sitting with the Master. Narendra came into the room. As Sri Ramakrishna rightly says, Narendra goes about…
  14074. 59The Hard Rule of the Sannyasi, and Narendra
  14075. 60Narendra came and sat near the Master. For the Master to hear, Narendra is expressing the utmost disgust with women. With women, he says, comes a terr…
  14076. 61Sri Ramakrishna says not a word; he is listening to it all.
  14077. 62Narendra says again, I want peace; I do not want even God. Sri Ramakrishna is gazing fixedly at Narendra. Not a word is on his lips. Now and then Nare…
  14078. 63Eight o'clock at night. The Master is sitting on his bed, and one or two devotees are sitting before him. Surendra has finished his work at the office…
  14079. 64Surendra, looking toward Mani and the others: I finished all my office work before coming. I thought, what is the use of keeping a foot in two boats?…
  14080. 65Sri Ramakrishna smiles faintly.
  14081. 66Surendra: I have heard that when one goes to see a guru or a holy man, one must bring flowers and fruit. So I brought these. As for money spent for yo…
  14082. 67Nodding his head, the Master says by a sign, "You are speaking rightly." Surendra says again, "I could not come yesterday; it was the Sankranti. I dec…
  14083. 68Sri Ramakrishna says to Mani by a sign, "Ah, what devotion!"
  14084. 69Surendra: I was on my way here; I brought these two garlands; they cost four annas.
  14085. 70Almost all the devotees went away. The Master asks Mani to stroke his feet and to fan him.
  14086. 1Section Twenty-Six
  14087. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Cossipore Garden
  14088. 3Chapter One
  14089. 4Sri Ramakrishna in the Cossipore Garden—Girish and M.
  14090. 5On the eastern side of the Cossipore garden is the ghat of the tank. The moon has risen. The garden paths and the trees of the garden are bathed in it…
  14091. 6The moon has risen. At the ghat Girish, M., Latu and one or two other devotees are sitting. They are talking of the Master. Today is Friday, the sixte…
  14092. 7After a while Girish and M. are walking up and down that path, talking from time to time.
  14093. 8M.: What beautiful moonlight! For how long this law has been going on!
  14094. 9Girish: How did you come to know that?
  14095. 10M.: The law of nature does not change; and the people of the West have seen new stars, one after another, through the telescope. They have seen that t…
  14096. 11Uniformity of Nature.
  14097. 12Girish: That is hard to say; I cannot believe it.
  14098. 13M.: Why, through the telescope one sees truly.
  14099. 14Girish: How can I say they have seen it. If there is some other thing between the earth and the moon, the light, as it comes on through it, may perhap…
  14100. 15The young devotees always stay in the garden to serve the Master. Narendra, Rakhal and Niranjan, Sarat, Sashi, Baburam, Kali, Jogin, Latu: these and o…
  14101. 16Chapter Two
  14102. 17The Master with Girish and Other Devotees—The Master's Tenderness for His Devotee
  14103. 18Girish, Latu, M., Baburam, Niranjan, Rakhal
  14104. 19Girish, Latu and M. go upstairs and see the Master sitting on his bed. Sashi and one or two other devotees were in that room to serve him; by and by B…
  14105. 20The room is large. Near the Master's bed are medicines and the like, and such things as are most needed. On the north of the room is a door; one comes…
  14106. 21The devotees have to keep watch through the night; they keep awake by turns. The devotee who is to stay in the room, after hanging the mosquito net an…
  14107. 22Today the Master's illness is somewhat less. The devotees came in, prostrated themselves on the ground and saluted him, and sat down on the floor befo…
  14108. 23The Master told M. to bring the lamp near. He is greeting Girish affectionately.
  14109. 24Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: "Are you well?" To Latu: "Give him a smoke. And bring him some pan."
  14110. 25After a while he said again, "Bring some refreshments."
  14111. 26Latu: I have given him pan and the rest. The refreshments are being fetched from the shop.
  14112. 27The Master is sitting. A devotee brought him some garlands of flowers. The Master put them round his own neck one by one. Hari dwells in the Master's…
  14113. 28Every now and then the Master is asking, "Have the refreshments come?"
  14114. 29Mani is fanning the Master. Near the Master there was a fan of sandalwood, a devotee's gift. The Master gave that fan into Mani's hand. Mani is fannin…
  14115. 30Latu is telling the Master about a devotee. A child of his, seven or eight years old, left the body about a year and a half ago. That boy had seen the…
  14116. 31Latu, to Sri Ramakrishna: This gentleman cried bitterly last night, looking at his boy's books. His wife too has gone almost mad with grief for the bo…
  14117. 32Sri Ramakrishna heard this tale of grief and stayed silent, as if troubled.
  14118. 33Girish: Arjuna, after reading all that Gita and the rest, fell into a dead faint from grief for Abhimanyu. So it is no wonder that he grieves for his…
  14119. 34In the World, What Brings the Attainment of God?
  14120. 35The refreshments have come for Girish: hot kachuris from Fagu's shop, luchis and other sweets. Fagu's shop is at Baranagore. The Master had all that f…
  14121. 36Girish sits before him and eats. Girish must be given water to drink. At the south-east corner of the Master's bed there is water in a clay jug. It is…
  14122. 37The Master is very ill. He has no strength to stand.
  14123. 38What is it the devotees are watching in amazement? They see that the Master has no cloth about his waist. Clad in the sky! Like a child he is edging f…
  14124. 39Girish is eating. The devotees are sitting all around. Mani is fanning the Master.
  14125. 40Girish, to Sri Ramakrishna: Deben Babu is going to renounce the world.
  14126. 41The Master cannot speak at all times; it hurts him badly. Touching his lips with his fingers, he made a sign: "How will the family be fed—how will the…
  14127. 42Girish: What he will do about that I don't know.
  14128. 43All are silent. Girish, still eating, began to talk.
  14129. 44Girish: Well, sir—which is right? To give up the world with a struggle, or to stay in the world and call on Him?
  14130. 45Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Haven't you seen it in the Gita? If one does one's work living in the world without attachment, if after knowledge one lives i…
  14131. 46"Those who give up with a struggle are people of a low class.
  14132. 47"Do you know what the jnani in the world is like? Like someone in a room with glass windows. He can see both inside and out."
  14133. 48Again all are silent.
  14134. 49Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: The kachuris are hot, and very good.
  14135. 50M., to Girish: Kachuris from Fagu's shop! Famous.
  14136. 51Sri Ramakrishna: Famous!
  14137. 52Girish, eating, with a smile: Fine kachuris.
  14138. 53Sri Ramakrishna: "Leave the luchis; eat the kachuris." To M.: "But kachuris belong to rajas." Girish, still eating, took up the talk again.
  14139. 54The Difference between the Mind of One in the World and the Mind of the True Renouncer
  14140. 55Girish, to Sri Ramakrishna: Well, sir, the mind is up so high, and then why does it come down low?
  14141. 56Sri Ramakrishna: That is how it goes once you live in the world. Sometimes high, sometimes low. Sometimes there is good devotion, and then it wanes. O…
  14142. 57"With those who renounce it is another matter. They can draw the mind back from woman and gold and give it to God alone; they can drink the nectar of…
  14143. 58"The bee sits only on flowers—to drink the honey. Nothing else pleases the bee."
  14144. 59Girish went out on the small terrace on the south to wash his hands.
  14145. 60Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: God's grace is needed; then the whole mind goes to Him. He has eaten a great many kachuris; go and tell him not to eat anythin…
  14146. 61Chapter Three
  14147. 62The Avatar Is beyond the Rules of the Vedas—Devotion by Rule and the Madness of Devotion
  14148. 63Girish has come back into the room, has sat down before the Master, and is chewing pan.
  14149. 64Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: Rakhal and the others now understand which is good and which is bad, which is real and which unreal. If they go and live i…
  14150. 65"Like the pankal fish. It lives in the mud, yet on its body there is not so much as a speck of mud!"
  14151. 66Girish: Sir, I don't understand all that. If you so will, you can make everyone unattached and pure. Worldly or renouncer, you can make everyone good!…
  14152. 67Sri Ramakrishna: Without pith it does not become sandalwood. The simul and a few other trees: these do not become sandalwood.
  14153. 68Girish: I won't hear of that.
  14154. 69Sri Ramakrishna: The law has it so.
  14155. 70Girish: With you it is all against the law!
  14156. 71The devotees listen in amazement. Now and again the fan in Mani's hand stops still.
  14157. 72Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, that may be; when the river of devotion overflows, there is a bamboo's depth of water on the dry land.
  14158. 73"When the madness of devotion comes, one does not heed the rules of the Vedas. One picks durva grass; one doesn't sort it! Whatever comes to hand, one…
  14159. 74To M.: "When devotion comes, nothing else at all is wanted!"
  14160. 75M.: Yes, sir.
  14161. 76Sita and Sri Radha—The Different Bhavas of the Rama Avatar and the Krishna Avatar
  14162. 77Sri Ramakrishna: One has to take refuge in one bhava. In the Rama Avatar: santa, dasya, vatsalya, sakhya, and so forth. In the Krishna Avatar there we…
  14163. 78"Srimati's madhura bhava—there is coquetry in it. Sita's is pure chastity; no coquetry!
  14164. 79"It is His lila alone. As the time, so the bhava."
  14165. 80A woman who was like a madwoman used to go with Vijay to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar to sing to the Master: songs to Syama, and Brahmo hymns. Ever…
  14166. 81Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish and the other devotees: "Pagli has the madhura bhava. One day she had gone to Dakshineswar. All of a sudden, tears. I asked…
  14167. 82"Another day she had gone. I had sat down to eat. All at once she says, Have you not been kind to me?' I go on eating with an easy mind. Then she says…
  14168. 83Girish: That Pagli—blessed is she! Mad she may be, and blows may be all she gets from the devotees, but she does think of you every hour of the day an…
  14169. 84"Sir, what shall I say! By thinking of you, what I was and what I have become! Before, there was sloth; now that sloth has turned into reliance on God…
  14170. 85The devotees are silent. Rakhal, speaking of Pagli, is lamenting. He said, it is sad: she causes trouble, and suffers much for it too.
  14171. 86Niranjan, to Rakhal: You have a wife; that is why your heart aches. We could offer her up as a sacrifice.
  14172. 87Rakhal, annoyed: What bravado! Such talk in front of him!
  14173. 88Teaching for Girish—Attachment to Money—Its Right Use—The Things of Doctors and Kavirajas
  14174. 89Sri Ramakrishna, to Girish: Woman and gold, that alone is the world. Many think of money as the blood of their own body. But if you hold money too dea…
  14175. 90"In our part of the country they build ridges round the fields. Do you know what a ridge is? Those who put up ridges all round with great care find th…
  14176. 91"Those who put money to good use, who serve the deity, serve holy men and devotees, give in charity: they alone gain anything. Theirs alone is the har…
  14177. 92"I cannot eat anything that comes from doctors and kavirajas. Men who earn money out of people's suffering! Their wealth is like blood and pus!"
  14178. 93Having said this, the Master named two physicians.
  14179. 94Girish: Rajendra Datta has a very generous heart; he does not take a single pice from anyone. He is given to charity.
  14180. 1Section Thirty-Three
  14181. 2In the Cossipore Garden with Narendra and Other Devotees
  14182. 3Chapter One
  14183. 4Modesty Alone Is the Ornament of Girls; An Earlier Day: A Blessed Visit to M.'s House
  14184. 5Sri Ramakrishna is living with his devotees at the Cossipore garden. His body is very ill, yet he is ever anxious for the good of the devotees. Today…
  14185. 6For some days Narendra has been going to Dakshineswar almost daily; in the Panchavati he contemplates God, he practises sadhana. Today he came back at…
  14186. 7It is eight o'clock at night. The moonlight and the breeze from the south have made the garden beautiful. Many of the devotees are meditating in the r…
  14187. 8After a while Mani is sitting by the Master in the hall upstairs. The Master bids him clean the basin and the towel and bring them. He washes them at…
  14188. 9Next morning the Master sent for Mani. After bathing in the Ganges he had seen the Master and gone to the roof of the hall.
  14189. 10Mani's wife is half out of her mind with grief for her son. The Master told him she should come to the garden—come here and take prasad.
  14190. 11The Master says by signs: "Tell her to come here. She is to stay two days. She must be sure to bring the baby with her. And she will come and eat here…
  14191. 12Mani: As you bid, sir. If deep devotion to God comes, then it will be well.
  14192. 13Sri Ramakrishna says by signs: "Uh-uh—grief pushes devotion away. And a son as grown as that!
  14193. 14"Krishnakishore's two sons, like Bhavanath! Two or two and a half examinations passed! They died. Such a great jnani!—at first he could not hold himse…
  14194. 15"Arjuna was so great a jnani. Krishna was with him. Yet in his grief for Abhimanyu he was utterly overcome! Why doesn't Kishori come?"
  14195. 16A devotee: He goes to bathe in the Ganges every day.
  14196. 17Sri Ramakrishna: Why doesn't he come here?
  14197. 18The devotee: Sir, I shall ask him to come.
  14198. 19Sri Ramakrishna, to Latu: Why doesn't Harish come?
  14199. 20Modesty Alone Is the Ornament of Girls; An Earlier Day: A Blessed Visit to M.'s House
  14200. 21Two girls of M.'s household, nine or ten years old, had come to the Master at the Cossipore garden and were singing to him "Ever repeat the name of Du…
  14201. 22Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Don't teach your girls any more songs. Their singing of their own accord is one thing. If they sing before all and sundry thei…
  14202. 23Sri Ramakrishna's Worship of Himself; Prasad Given to the Devotees
  14203. 24Flowers and sandal paste have been brought in a flower tray and set before the Master. He is sitting on the bed. With the flowers and sandal paste it…
  14204. 25Manomohan has come from Konnagar; he bows to the Master and takes his seat. The Master is still worshipping himself. He puts a garland of flowers roun…
  14205. 26After a while, as though pleased, he gave Manomohan the flowers of the worship. To Mani he gave a champak.
  14206. 1Chapter Two
  14207. 2Did Buddha Accept the Existence of God? Teaching for Narendra
  14208. 3It is nine o'clock in the morning. The Master is talking with M.; Sashi too is in the room.
  14209. 4Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: What were Narendra and Sashi saying? What were they reasoning about?
  14210. 5M., to Sashi: What was it you were talking about?
  14211. 6Sashi: Niranjan has said so, I suppose?
  14212. 7Sri Ramakrishna: 'God is not, God is': was it all this you were talking about?
  14213. 8Sashi, smiling: Shall I call Narendra?
  14214. 9Sri Ramakrishna: "Call him." Narendra comes in and sits down.
  14215. 10To M.: "Ask something. Tell us what you were talking about."
  14216. 11Narendra: My stomach is upset. What more should I say about that?
  14217. 12Sri Ramakrishna: It will get better.
  14218. 13M., smiling: What is the state of a Buddha like?
  14219. 14Narendra: As if anything has happened to me, that I should tell of it.
  14220. 15M.: That God exists: what does he say?
  14221. 16Narendra: How does he say God exists? It is you who are creating the world. You know what Berkeley has said, don't you?
  14222. 17M.: Yes, he has said it indeed: Their esse is percipii (The existence of external objects depends upon their perception.): 'Only so long as the work o…
  14223. 18Former Days: Totapuri's Teaching to the Master, 'The World Is in the Mind Alone'
  14224. 19Sri Ramakrishna: Nangta used to say, 'The world is in the mind alone, and in the mind itself it dissolves again.'
  14225. 20"But so long as the I remains, so long it is the relation of the one served and the servant that is best.
  14226. 21Narendra, to M.: If you reason, then how will you say that God exists? And if you go by faith, then you must accept the one served and the servant. If…
  14227. 22"You have kept in mind only the suffering. Why do you forget that He has given so much happiness? How great is His grace! Three very great things He h…
  14228. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: But I feel very clearly that there is something within.
  14229. 24Doctor Rajendralal Datta comes and takes a seat. He is treating the Master by homoeopathy. When the talk of medicines is over, the Master points out M…
  14230. 25Dr. Rajendra: He is the son of my cousin on my mother's side.
  14231. 26Narendra has come downstairs. He is singing to himself:
  14232. 27'You have taken away all sorrow, giving Your vision, You have charmed my soul. The seven worlds forget their grief on finding You; where am I, so very…
  14233. 28Narendra has a slight upset of the stomach. He is saying to M.: 'If one stays on the path of love and devotion, the mind comes into the body. If that…
  14234. 29The Master's Worship of Himself: Prasad to Surendra: Surendra's Service
  14235. 30It is nine o'clock at night. Surendra and other devotees have brought garlands of flowers and offered them to the Master! In the room are Baburam, Sur…
  14236. 31The Master has himself put on Surendra's garland; everyone is sitting silent. He who is within: it seems the Master is worshipping Him alone!
  14237. 32Suddenly he beckons Surendra with a sign. When Surendra comes near the bed, he takes the prasad garland (the garland he himself had worn) and himself…
  14238. 33Receiving the garland, Surendra bows down. Again the Master, by a sign, is asking him to stroke his feet with his hand. For some time Surendra serves…
  14239. 34Sankirtan by the Devotees in the Cossipore Garden
  14240. 35To the west of the room the Master is in, there is a pond. On the paved platform of this pond's ghat a few devotees are singing with drum and cymbals.…
  14241. 36M., Baburam and others are still sitting near the Master. They are listening; the devotees are singing:
  14242. 37My Gaur dances, crying the name of Hari.
  14243. 38Listening to the song, the Master makes a sign to Baburam, M. and the others and says: 'Go downstairs. Sing with them, and dance.'
  14244. 39After a while the Master has sent someone again. He has said they are to put in these added lines: 'Gaur knows how to dance too! May the ills of Gaur'…
  14245. 40The kirtan has come to an end. Surendra, almost in a state of bhava, is singing:
  14246. 41My father is mad, mad is my Mother. I am their mad son; my Mother's name is Syama. Father cries Bava Bam; drunk with wine, Mother sways and falls agai…
  14247. 1Chapter Three
  14248. 2Narendra and the Existence of God: Bhavanath, Purna, Surendra
  14249. 3Having seen Sri Ramakrishna, Hiranand is getting into the carriage. Narendra and Rakhal stand beside the carriage, talking pleasantly with him. It is…
  14250. 4Today is Wednesday, the ninth of Baisakh, the third day of the dark fortnight of Chaitra. The twenty-first of April, 1886. Strolling on the garden pat…
  14251. 5Narendra: I have no further need of the post at Vidyasagar's school. I have a mind to go to Gaya. Someone has spoken of a manager's post on a zamindar…
  14252. 6Mani, smiling: That is what you say now; later on you will not say it. Scepticism is a stage on the road to attaining God; when one has crossed all th…
  14253. 7Narendra: Just as I am seeing a tree, has anyone seen God like that?
  14254. 8Mani: Yes, the Master has.
  14255. 9Narendra: That may be an error of the mind.
  14256. 10Mani: Whatever a person sees in whatever state, in that state it is reality for him, the truth. As long as you are dreaming that you have gone into a…
  14257. 11Narendra: I want the truth. The other day I argued hard with the Paramahamsa Mashay himself.
  14258. 12Mani, smiling: What happened?
  14259. 13Narendra: He had told me, 'Some people call me God.' I said, 'Let a thousand people call you God; so long as it does not seem true to me, I shall not…
  14260. 14"He said, 'Whatever many people will say, that surely is the truth; that surely is dharma!'
  14261. 15"I said, 'Unless I understand it rightly myself, I will not listen to what other people say."
  14262. 16Mani, smiling: Your way of thinking is like theirs, Copernicus and Berkeley. The people of the world say the sun moves; Copernicus did not listen to i…
  14263. 17Narendra: Can you let me have a History of philosophy?
  14264. 18Mani: What, Lewis?
  14265. 19Narendra: No, Ueberweg; German has to be read.
  14266. 20Mani: You are saying, has anyone seen Him as one sees a tree in front of one? Well, if God were to become a man and come and say, 'I am God!' would yo…
  14267. 21"The Master has said, He cannot be known through reasoning. By faith alone everything comes: jnana, vijnana. Vision, converse: everything."
  14268. 22Bhavanath has married. The worry of earning his bread has come upon him. Coming to M., he says, 'Vidyasagar's new school is to open, I hear. I too hav…
  14269. 23Ramlal: Purna's Carriage Fare: Surendra's Screens of Khaskhas
  14270. 24It is three or four o'clock. The Master is lying down. Sri Ramlal is massaging his feet. Gopal of Sinthi and Mani are in the room. Ramlal has come fro…
  14271. 25The Master is asking Mani to shut the window, and to stroke his feet.
  14272. 26Sri Purna had been told to hire a carriage and come to the garden at Cossipore. He has had his darshan and gone. Mani is to pay the carriage fare. The…
  14273. 27Gopal: Yes, sir.
  14274. 28Nine o'clock at night has struck. Surendra, Ram and the others are getting ready to go back to Calcutta.
  14275. 29The sun of the month of Baisakh: in the daytime the Master's room grows very hot indeed. So Surendra has brought khaskhas. If it is made into screens…
  14276. 30Surendra: Why, has no one made the khaskhas into screens and hung them up? No one pays any heed.
  14277. 31A devotee, smiling: "The devotees are now in the state of Brahmajnana. Now it is 'So'ham': the world is unreal. When this bhava, 'You are the Lord, I…
  14278. 1Section Twenty-Seven
  14279. 2Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees in the Cossipore Garden
  14280. 3Chapter One
  14281. 4Rakhal, Sashi, M., Narendra, Bhavanath, Surendra, Rajendra, Doctor Sarkar
  14282. 5The Cossipore garden. Rakhal, Sashi and M. are walking on the garden path at dusk. Sri Ramakrishna is ill—he has come to the garden to be treated. He…
  14283. 6M.: He is a child beyond the gunas.
  14284. 7Sashi and Rakhal: The Master has said that is his state.
  14285. 8Rakhal: Like a tower. Sitting there one gets all the news and can see everything, but no one can go there, no one can reach it.
  14286. 9M.: He has said that in such a state one may see God at all times. There is no sap of worldliness in him, so the dry wood catches fire at once.
  14287. 10Sashi: He was telling Charu how many kinds of intelligence there are. The intelligence by which one attains God, that is the right intelligence. The i…
  14288. 11M.: Ah! What words!
  14289. 12Sashi: Kali Tapasvi was saying to the Master, "What is the use of joy? The Bhils have joy too. The savages dance and sing, whooping ho, ho."
  14290. 13Rakhal: He said, What is this? Are the bliss of Brahman and the joy of sense-objects the same? Embodied beings live wrapped up in the joy of sense-obj…
  14291. 14M.: Kali meditates on the Buddha these days, so he speaks of what lies beyond all joy.
  14292. 15Rakhal: He raised the subject of the Buddha with him too. The Paramahamsa said, "The Buddha is an Incarnation; who can be measured against him? Lofty…
  14293. 16M.: What did he say?
  14294. 17Rakhal: He said, What is this? Is the power of begetting children one with the power of attaining God?
  14295. 18Sri Ramakrishna with the Devotees—'Woman and Gold Are a Great Burden'
  14296. 19Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with the devotees in that "hall" room on the upper floor of the garden house. His body is growing worse day by day, and tod…
  14297. 20The garden belongs to the Babus of Pakpara. Rent has to be paid—about sixty to sixty-five rupees. The young devotees live in the garden most of the ti…
  14298. 21Sri Ramakrishna, to Doctor Sarkar and the others: It is costing a great deal.
  14299. 22Doctor, pointing to the devotees: "Well, these are all ready for it. They find no hardship in paying the whole cost of the garden." To Sri Ramakrishna…
  14300. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: Speak, won't you?
  14301. 24The Master bids Narendra answer. Narendra remains silent. The doctor speaks again.
  14302. 25Doctor: Gold is needed. And woman is needed too.
  14303. 26Doctor Rajendra: His wife is cooking and serving for him.
  14304. 27Doctor Sarkar, to the Master: You see?
  14305. 28Sri Ramakrishna, smiling a little: A great burden!
  14306. 29Doctor Sarkar: If there were no burdens, then everyone would be a paramahamsa.
  14307. 30Sri Ramakrishna: If a woman touches the body, illness follows; the place she touches tingles and throbs, as if the spine of a singi fish had pierced i…
  14308. 31Doctor: That I believe—but without it how does one get on?
  14309. 32Sri Ramakrishna: Take money in the hand, and the hand bends crooked! The breath stops! If with money a man keeps a household of vidya—serves God—serve…
  14310. 33"Keeping a household of maya with a woman! In it one forgets God. She who is the Mother of the universe, She alone has taken this form of maya—the for…
  14311. 34After taking the homoeopathic medicine the Master has been a little better for some days.
  14312. 35Rajendra: "When you are well again you will have to practise medicine on homoeopathic lines. Otherwise, what is the good of living?" Everyone laughed.
  14313. 36Narendra: "Nothing like leather (the man who does the cobbler's work says there is nothing in this world as excellent as leather)." Everyone laughed.…
  14314. 37Chapter Two
  14315. 38Why Has Sri Ramakrishna Renounced Woman and Gold?
  14316. 39The Master is talking with M. He is speaking of his own state with regard to 'woman'!
  14317. 40Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: They are saying one cannot get on without woman and gold. They do not know what state I am in.
  14318. 41"If the hand touches a woman's body, the hand goes stiff and tingles.
  14319. 42"If I go near one in a friendly way to talk, it is as if there were some screen in between, and there is no way to get past that screen.
  14320. 43"If I am sitting alone in my room and some woman comes in, at once the state of a child will come over me; and I shall feel that woman to be the Mothe…
  14321. 44M., amazed, sits near the Master's bed listening to all this. A little way from the bed Narendra is talking with Bhavanath. Bhavanath has married—he i…
  14322. 45Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: Give him plenty of courage.
  14323. 46Narendra and Bhavanath look towards the Master and begin to smile a little. By signs the Master says again to Bhavanath—"You must be a real hero. Don'…
  14324. 47"Keep your mind steady on God; one who is a hero stays with a woman and does not have intercourse! With your wife you will talk only of God."
  14325. 48After a while the Master again says to Bhavanath by signs—"Eat here today."
  14326. 49Bhavanath: As you wish, sir. I am quite well.
  14327. 50Surendra has come and sat down. It is the month of Vaisakh. Every evening after dusk the devotees bring garlands for the Master. The Master puts those…
  14328. 51All are sitting in silence, watching the Master. Now Surendra bows to the Master and stands up; he will take his leave. As he goes he calls Bhavanath…
  14329. 52Chapter Three
  14330. 53Sri Ramakrishna with Hiranand and Other Devotees in the Cossipore Garden
  14331. 54The Master's Teaching—Whatever Is, Thou Alone Art—The Characters of Narendra and Hiranand
  14332. 55The Cossipore garden. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in the hall upstairs. Before him are Hiranand, M. and one or two other devotees, and two friends have…
  14333. 56The Master points with his finger towards Hiranand and makes a sign to M.—as if to say, the boy is very good.
  14334. 57Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know him?
  14335. 58M.: Yes, sir, I do.
  14336. 59Sri Ramakrishna, to Hiranand and M.: You talk a little; let me listen.
  14337. 60Seeing M. silent, the Master asked him, "Is Narendra here? Call him."
  14338. 61Narendra came upstairs and sat near the Master.
  14339. 62Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra and Hiranand: Talk a little, the two of you.
  14340. 63Hiranand is silent. After much hesitation he began to speak.
  14341. 64Hiranand, to Narendra: Well, why does the devotee suffer?
  14342. 65Hiranand's words are sweet, as though they were honey. Those who heard them could tell that his heart was full of love.
  14343. 66Narendra: The scheme of the universe is devilish? I could have created a better world? (Seeing how this world is ordered, it seems the Devil has made…
  14344. 67Hiranand: Without sorrow, would one know happiness?
  14345. 68Narendra: I am giving no scheme of the universe but simply my opinion of the present scheme. (I am not saying out of what stuff the world ought to be…
  14346. 69"But if one believes one thing, it is all settled. Our only refuge is in pantheism: all is God—once this faith comes, it is all settled! It is I who a…
  14347. 70Hiranand: That is easy to say.
  14348. 71Narendra is reciting the Nirvanashatkam to a tune:—
  14349. 72Om. I am not mind, intellect, ego or chitta, nor the ears and tongue, nor smell and sight; Nor am I sky or earth, nor fire, nor air: I am Siva, whose…
  14350. 73Hiranand: Fine.
  14351. 74Sri Ramakrishna makes a sign to Hiranand: Give an answer.
  14352. 75Hiranand: What you see of a room from one corner, you see the same standing in the middle of the room. O God! I am Your servant—in that too one feels…
  14353. 76All are silent. Hiranand says to Narendra: Please sing a little. Narendra is singing the Kaupinapanchakam to a tune—
  14354. 77Ever delighting in the words of the Vedanta, content with begged food alone, Moving with a heart that knows no sorrow: blessed indeed are they who wea…
  14355. 78The moment the Master hears—who day and night delight in Brahman—he says very softly, Ah! And by a sign he indicates, 'This is the mark of a yogi.'
  14356. 79Narendra is finishing the Kaupinapanchakam—
  14357. 80Turning away from the feeling that they are the body and the rest, beholding their own Self in the Self, Thinking of no end, no middle, no outside: bl…
  14358. 81Narendra sings again:—
  14359. 82The fullness of Bliss. Meditate on Him who is without limbs, the treasure-house of the world, The ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of…
  14360. 83Sri Ramakrishna, to Narendra: And that one, "Whatever is, all is Thou alone!"
  14361. 84Narendra is singing that song—
  14362. 85I have given my heart to Thee; whatever is, Thou alone art. Thee alone have I found as my own; whatever is, Thou alone art. Thou dwellest in the heart…
  14363. 86Hearing the words 'in every heart', the Master says by signs that He is in each one's heart, He is the Indweller.
  14364. 87'Wherever I looked, Thou alone didst meet my eyes; whatever is, all is Thou alone!' Hearing this, Hiranand says to Narendra—all is Thou alone; now it…
  14365. 88Narendra: Give me one and I will give you a million (if I get one, then I can make millions upon millions with ease—that is, by setting noughts after…
  14366. 89So saying, Narendra begins to recite some verses from the Ashtavakra Samhita. Again all are sitting silent.
  14367. 90Sri Ramakrishna, to Hiranand, pointing to Narendra: He goes about as if carrying a drawn sword.
  14368. 91To M., pointing to Hiranand: "How calm! Like a cobra that holds up its hood and stays still before the snake-charmer!"
  14369. 92Chapter Four
  14370. 93The Master's Worship of Himself—Secret Words—with M., Hiranand and Others
  14371. 94Sri Ramakrishna is turned inward. Hiranand and M. are sitting near him. The room is hushed. In the Master's body is a pain unheard of; whenever the de…
  14372. 95The devotees have brought flowers and garlands. Within the Master's heart is Narayana; it is He, it seems, whom he is worshipping. See, he takes flowe…
  14373. 96When a divine mood comes upon the Master, he says that within the body the mahavayu has risen upward. When the mahavayu rises one feels God—he always…
  14374. 97Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: I don't know when the vayu rose.
  14375. 98"Now it is a child's bhava. So I am doing this with the flowers. Do you know what I see? The body is like a frame of bamboo strips wrapped in cloth, a…
  14376. 99"Like a pumpkin with the pulp and seeds thrown out. Inside there is no attachment at all, to lust or anything else. Inside, all is clean. And—"
  14377. 100It is hard for the Master to speak. He is very weak. M. quickly guesses what the Master is about to say, and says—"And you see God within."
  14378. 101Sri Ramakrishna: Within and without, I see both. The indivisible Satchidananda! Satchidananda has merely taken a sheath for support, and is within thi…
  14379. 102M. and Hiranand are listening to these words about the vision of Brahman. After a while the Master looks towards them and speaks.
  14380. 103Sri Ramakrishna, to M. and Hiranand: I feel you all to be my own. No one seems a stranger.
  14381. 104Sri Ramakrishna and the State of Yoga—The Vision of the Indivisible
  14382. 105"I see all of them, each with a sheath, nodding their heads.
  14383. 106"I see that when the mind is joined to Him, the pain lies off to one side.
  14384. 107Having gained which, one counts no other gain greater than it, Established in which, one is not shaken even by heavy sorrow.—Bhagavad Gita
  14385. 108"Now I see only the Indivisible covered with skin, and on one side the sore in the throat lying there."
  14386. 109The Master falls silent again. After a while he says again, Consciousness takes on the being of matter, and matter takes on the being of Consciousness…
  14387. 110Hiranand shows he is eager to understand that saying. So M. says—"When the hand is scalded in hot water people say, the water scalded the hand. But th…
  14388. 111Heat.
  14389. 112Hiranand, to the Master: You tell us, why does the devotee suffer?
  14390. 113Sri Ramakrishna: The pain is the body's.
  14391. 114The Master will say something more. Both are waiting.
  14392. 115The Master says—"Did you understand?"
  14393. 116M. is saying something softly to Hiranand—
  14394. 117M.: For the teaching of mankind. An example. In the midst of so much pain of the body, the mind joined to God, all sixteen annas!
  14395. 118Hiranand: Yes, like Christ's Crucifixion; but this Mystery—why agony for him?
  14396. 119M.: As the Master says, it is the Mother's will. Here this is the form Her play takes.
  14397. 120The two of them are talking softly. The Master asks Hiranand by signs! As Hiranand cannot make out the signs, the Master asks again by signs, 'What is…
  14398. 121Hiranand: He is speaking of the teaching of mankind.
  14399. 122Sri Ramakrishna: "That is only a guess, after all." To M. and Hiranand: "My state is changing; I am thinking I shall not say to everyone, be awakened.…
  14400. 123M., to Hiranand: He will not say it without seeing the time. He will say it to the one whose time has come to be awakened.
  14401. 1Chapter Five
  14402. 2Pravritti or Nivritti? Teaching to Hiranand: Nivritti Alone Is Good
  14403. 3Hiranand is stroking the Master's feet with his hand. M. is seated close at hand. Latu and one or two more devotees keep coming into the room now and…
  14404. 4Stroking his feet, Hiranand is talking with the Master. The same sweet words, and a face all smiles. It is as though he were making a child understand…
  14405. 5Hiranand: Why do you think about it so much? Put your faith in the doctor and you can be free of care. You are a child, after all.
  14406. 6Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Where is faith in the doctor? Sarkar (the doctor) said, "It will not get better."
  14407. 7Hiranand: Then why so much worry? What is to happen will happen.
  14408. 8M., aside to Hiranand: He is not thinking about himself. He looks after his body for the devotees' sake.
  14409. 9It is very hot, and midday besides. A screen of khaskhas has been hung. Hiranand gets up and hangs it properly. The Master watches him.
  14410. 10Sri Ramakrishna, to Hiranand: Then do send the pyjamas!
  14411. 11Hiranand had said that if the Master wore the pyjamas of their country, he would be at ease. So the Master is reminding him to send the pyjamas.
  14412. 12Hiranand had not eaten well; the rice had been a little underdone. Hearing of it, the Master was much grieved, and again and again he says to him, Wil…
  14413. 13Again he asks Latu, Did you all have to eat that rice too?
  14414. 14The Master cannot keep his cloth about his waist. He stays unclad, almost like a child. Two Brahmo devotees have come with Hiranand. So every now and…
  14415. 15Sri Ramakrishna, to Hiranand: If my cloth comes off, do you people call it uncivilized?
  14416. 16Hiranand: What does that matter to you? You are a child, after all.
  14417. 17Sri Ramakrishna, pointing with his finger at Priyanath, a Brahmo devotee: He says so.
  14418. 18Hiranand will now take his leave. After staying in Calcutta for a day or two he will go to Sind again. He has his work there. He is the editor of two…
  14419. 19Sind Times.
  14420. 20Sind Sudhar.
  14421. 21Hiranand was a native of Sind. He had studied in Calcutta. He used to see Sri Keshab Sen constantly and talk with him constantly. Now and then he woul…
  14422. 22Hiranand Put to the Test: Pravritti or Nivritti?
  14423. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to Hiranand: What if you did not go there?
  14424. 24Hiranand, smiling: Why! But there is no one else there, is there? And I do all the work.
  14425. 25Sri Ramakrishna: What salary do you get?
  14426. 26Hiranand, smiling: In work of this kind the pay is low.
  14427. 27Sri Ramakrishna: How much?
  14428. 28Hiranand began to laugh. The Master spoke again.
  14429. 29Sri Ramakrishna: Stay here, won't you?
  14430. 30Hiranand is silent.
  14431. 31Sri Ramakrishna: What will come of work?
  14432. 32Hiranand is silent.
  14433. 33After a little more conversation Hiranand took his leave.
  14434. 34Sri Ramakrishna: When will you come?
  14435. 35Hiranand: The day after tomorrow, Monday, I shall go home. On Monday morning I shall come and see you.
  14436. 36Chapter Six
  14437. 37M., Narendra, Sarat and Others
  14438. 38M. is sitting by the Master. Hiranand has just gone.
  14439. 39Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Very good; isn't he?
  14440. 40M.: Yes, sir; his nature is very sweet.
  14441. 41Sri Ramakrishna: He said eleven hundred krosas. He has come from as far as that to see me!
  14442. 42M.: Yes, sir; without great love such a thing does not happen.
  14443. 43Sri Ramakrishna: He very much wants to take me to that country.
  14444. 44M.: The journey would be very hard. It is four or five days by rail.
  14445. 45Sri Ramakrishna: Three examinations passed!
  14446. 46M.: Yes, sir.
  14447. 47The Master is a little tired. He will rest.
  14448. 48Sri Ramakrishna, to M.: Open the louvres and spread out the mat.
  14449. 49The Master is asking for the louvres of the shutters to be opened. And it is very hot, so he is asking for a mat to be spread over the bed.
  14450. 50M. is fanning him. A light drowsiness has come over the Master.
  14451. 51Sri Ramakrishna, after a short sleep, to M.: Did I sleep?
  14452. 52M.: Yes, sir, a little.
  14453. 53Narendra, Sarat and M. are talking downstairs in the east part of the hall.
  14454. 54Narendra: How strange it is. After reading for so many years, still there is no knowledge; how can people say, I have done sadhana for two or three da…
  14455. 55M.: "Then you had better give the fodder, and we shall go to the palace; or else we go to the palace and you give the fodder!" Everyone laughed.
  14456. 56Narendra, smiling: "He (the Paramahamsa) heard that story, and laughed as he listened to it."*
  14457. 57The words come from the story of Prahlada. Prahlada's father had sent for his two teachers, Shanda and Amarka. The king was going to ask why they had…
  14458. 58Chapter Seven
  14459. 59Sri Ramakrishna and a Gathering of Narendra and Other Devotees
  14460. 60It is afternoon. Many devotees are sitting in the upstairs hall. Narendra, Sarat, Sashi, Latu, Nityagopal, Kedar, Girish, Ram, M., Suresh: many are th…
  14461. 61Nityagopal has come before all the others, and the moment he saw the Master he laid his head at his feet in salutation. Having sat down, Nityagopal sa…
  14462. 62Kedar had come to see the Master after a long time. He had been in Dacca on business. Hearing there of the Master's illness, he has come. As soon as h…
  14463. 63Kedar himself received the dust of the Master's feet upon his head, and in his joy he takes that dust and gives it out to everyone. The devotees bow t…
  14464. 64As he was going to give it to Sarat, Sarat himself took the dust of the Master's feet. M. smiled. The Master too looked at M. and smiled. The devotees…
  14465. 65Sri Ramakrishna points with his finger at Narendra, showing him to Kedar, and says: "He has given up everything! (To the devotees) Kedar said to Naren…
  14466. 66Kedar, to Narendra: Take the dust from his feet; that will be enough.
  14467. 67Surendra is sitting behind the devotees. Sri Ramakrishna looked towards him with a faint smile. He says to Kedar, Ah, what a nature! Understanding the…
  14468. 68Surendra is a little touchy. Some of the devotees had gone to the devotees outside to collect money for the expenses of the garden. So he has taken gr…
  14469. 69Surendra, to Kedar: How can I sit beside so many sadhus! And some (Narendra) went a few days ago, in the dress of sannyasis, to visit Buddha Gaya. To…
  14470. 70Sri Ramakrishna is calming Surendra. He says, Yes, they are children; they cannot rightly understand.
  14471. 71Surendra, to Kedar: As if Gurudev does not know what each one's bhava is. He is not pleased with money; he is pleased with bhava!
  14472. 72Nodding his head, the Master agrees with Surendra's words. Hearing the words 'pleased with bhava', Kedar too shows his joy.
  14473. 73The devotees had brought food and placed it before the Master. The Master touched no more than a particle to his tongue. He asked for the prasad to be…
  14474. 74Surendra went downstairs. The prasad is to be given out below.
  14475. 75Sri Ramakrishna, to Kedar: Do explain it. Go once, and tell them not to quarrel.
  14476. 76Mani was fanning him. The Master said, Won't you eat? He sent Mani downstairs too, to take prasad.
  14477. 77Dusk is about to fall! Girish and Sri M. are strolling by the tank.
  14478. 78Girish: I say, you have written something about the Master, I hear?
  14479. 79Sri M.: "Who told you?"
  14480. 80Girish: I have heard it. Will you give it to me?
  14481. 81Sri M.: "No; unless I myself understand, I shall give it to nobody; that I have written for myself. Not for others!"
  14482. 82Girish: What are you saying!
  14483. 83Sri M.: "When my body passes away you will have it."
  14484. 84The Master, an Ocean of Grace without Cause; Sri Amrita, a Brahmo Devotee
  14485. 85After dusk the lamp has been lit in the Master's room. Sri Amrita (Basu), a Brahmo devotee, has come to see him. The Master had been eager to see him.…
  14486. 86Amrita, in a voice full of affection: Shall I put the garland on you?
  14487. 87When the garland had been put on, the Master talked with Amrita a great deal. Amrita was about to take his leave.
  14488. 88Sri Ramakrishna: Do come again.
  14489. 89Amrita: Yes, sir, I have a great wish to come. I have to come from a long way off, so I cannot always manage it.
  14490. 90Sri Ramakrishna: Do come. Take the carriage fare from here.
  14491. 91Seeing the Master's causeless affection for Amrita, everyone was astonished.
  14492. 1Sri Ramakrishna and the Devotee's Wife and Son
  14493. 2The next day, Saturday, the twenty-fourth of April. A devotee has come. With him are his wife and a boy of seven. A year ago a child eight years old g…
  14494. 3At night Holy Mother came to the hall upstairs to feed the Master. The devotee's wife came along with her, carrying a light.
  14495. 4While he ate, the Master asked her many things about her household, and told her to come to that garden and stay some days with Holy Mother. Then the…
  14496. 5When the Master had eaten, the devotee's wife cleaned the place. After talking with the Master for a while, when Holy Mother went to the room downstai…
  14497. 6It was nearly nine o'clock at night. The Master was sitting in that room with the devotees. He had put on a garland of flowers. Mani was fanning him.
  14498. 7Taking the garland from his neck and holding it in his hand, the Master was saying something to himself. Then, as if pleased, he gave the garland to M…
  14499. 8The Master had told the devotee's grief-stricken wife to come to that garden and stay some days with Holy Mother: Mani heard it all.
  14500. 1Baranagore Math
  14501. 2The Sivaratri Vow of Narendra, Rakhal, and the Other Brothers of the Math
  14502. 3The Baranagore Math. Sri Narendra, Rakhal, and the others are keeping the Sivaratri fast today. Two days from now the worship of the Master's birthday…
  14503. 4The Baranagore Math has been founded barely five months. It is not many days since Sri Ramakrishna went to his eternal abode. Narendra, Rakhal, and th…
  14504. 5Narendra and the other devotees sometimes do japa and meditation, sometimes read the scriptures. Narendra says, 'The desireless work that the Lord in…
  14505. 6This morning Narendra has come to Calcutta. He has to see to the lawsuit over the house. He must give evidence in court.
  14506. 7M. has reached the Math at nine in the morning. After he entered the room of the danas, Sri Tarak, seeing him, joyfully struck up a song of Siva: 'Ta…
  14507. 8Rakhal too joined him in the song. And as they sing, both of them are dancing. Narendra has composed this song only lately.
  14508. 9Ta-thaiya, ta-thaiya, Bhola dances; ba-ba-bom, his cheeks resound. Dimi dimi dimi sounds the damaru; the garland of skulls swings. The Ganges roars am…
  14509. 10All the brothers of the Math are fasting. In the room now are Narendra and Rakhal, Niranjan, Sarat, Sashi, Kali, Baburam, Tarak, Harish, Gopal of Sint…
  14510. 11Today is Monday, Sivaratri, 21 February 1887. On Saturday next Sarat, Kali, Niranjan, and Sarada will set out for the holy city of Puri, to see Sri Sr…
  14511. 12Sri Sashi is taken up day and night with the service of the Master.
  14512. 13The worship was over. Sarat, with the tanpura, is singing:
  14513. 14Siva, Sankara, bom bom (Bhola), Lord of Kailas, King of kings! Ure shringa ki kheyal; a garland of serpents at his throat; his eyes wide, red upon red…
  14514. 15Narendra has just now come from Calcutta. He has not yet bathed. Kali asked Narendra, what news of the lawsuit?
  14515. 16Narendra, annoyed: What have you to do with all that?
  14516. 17Narendra is smoking and talking with M. and the others: "Unless woman and gold are given up, nothing will come of it. Woman is the door to hell. All p…
  14517. 18Rakhal: And then how he gave up Dwaraka!
  14518. 19Narendra bathed in the Ganges and came back to the Math. In his hand were his wet cloth and towel. Sarada, who all this while had mud smeared over his…
  14519. 20They are talking of Bhavanath. Bhavanath has married and has to work at a job. Narendra says, "They are worldly worms, after all!"
  14520. 21Afternoon came. Preparations are being made for the Sivaratri worship. Bel wood and bel leaves were gathered. When the worship is over there will be a…
  14521. 22Evening has fallen. Sashi offered incense in the shrine room, then carried the incense into the other rooms as well. Bowing before the picture of ever…
  14522. 23Preparations for the worship of Siva under the bel tree of the Math. — Nine o'clock at night. Now the first worship is to take place. At half past ele…
  14523. 24Kali is reading the Gita: The Seeing of the Armies, Sankhya Yoga, Karma Yoga. Every so often in the course of the reading there is talk and argument w…
  14524. 25Kali: I alone am all. I am creating, preserving, and dissolving.
  14525. 26Narendra: Where am I creating anything? Another power is making me do it! These many actions — even thought — He is bringing about.
  14526. 27M., to himself: The Master says that so long as there is the awareness "I am meditating", so long it is still the domain of the Adyasakti! Sakti has t…
  14527. 28Kali, falling silent, is thinking for a while. Then he says: "The actions you spoke of — all that is false! — there has been no thought at all — the v…
  14528. 29Narendra: The "I" that is meant when one says "Soham" is not this "I". What remains when mind and body, all these, are set aside — that is the "I."
  14529. 30The reading of the Gita over, Kali is chanting the words of peace: Santih! Santih! Santih!
  14530. 31Now Narendra and the other devotees all stand, and, singing and dancing as they go, they circle the foot of the bel tree again and again. Every now an…
  14531. 32Uttered from the throats of these ochre-clad devotees, given to renunciation since boyhood, the sound of the great mantra 'Siva Guru, Siva Guru!' rose…
  14532. 33The worship was over. Dawn is about to break. Narendra and the other devotees bathed in the Ganges at the Brahmamuhurta.
  14533. 34Morning came. Their bath over, the devotees went to the shrine room of the Math and bowed down to the Master, and after that, one after another, they…
  14534. 35For the devotees' breaking of the fast Sri Balaram has sent fruit, sweets, and the like from his house on the very day before (the day of Sivaratri).
  14535. 36With Rakhal and one or two other devotees, Narendra, standing in the room, is taking a little refreshment. He has eaten no more than one or two, and i…
  14536. 37Now Narendra is playing a prank, like a boy. With a rasagolla in his mouth, he is utterly still! His eyes do not blink! Seeing Narendra's state, a dev…
  14537. 38After a while Narendra, with the rasagolla still in his mouth, opens his eyes and says, "I — am — well!" Everyone laughs aloud.
  14538. 39Siddhi and the sweets of the prasad were handed round to M. and the others.
  14539. 40M. is watching the fair of joy. The devotees are raising shouts of victory.
  14540. 41— "Victory to Gurumaharaj! Victory to Gurumaharaj!" —
  14541. 1Appendix
  14542. 2The Baranagore Math
  14543. 3Chapter One
  14544. 4Sri Ramakrishna's First Math: The Renunciation and Sadhana of Narendra and the Other Devotees
  14545. 5The Baranagore Math. After Sri Ramakrishna passed from sight, Narendra and the other devotees have come together. Through Surendra's good wish a place…
  14546. 6Latu, Tarak and the elder Gopal had no place to live, and it was in their name that Surendra first set up the Math. Surendra said, "Brothers! You will…
  14547. 7Narendra's Memories of Earlier Days, and Sri Ramakrishna's Love
  14548. 8Today is Friday, the twenty-fifth of March, 1887. M. has come to see the brothers of the Math. Devendra has come as well. M. comes to see them often,…
  14549. 9Night has fallen. Tonight M. will stay.
  14550. 10After dusk Sashi, repeating the sweet Name, lit the lamp in the shrine room and offered incense. Taking that incense, he is going to every picture in…
  14551. 11Now the arati is being performed. Sashi is performing it. The brothers of the Math, M. and Devendra, all of them with folded hands, are watching the a…
  14552. 12Narendra and M. are talking together. Narendra is telling M. many things from the past, from the time he first went to the Master. Narendra's age now…
  14553. 13Narendra: "In the very first days, when I went there, one day he said in bhava, 'You have come!'
  14554. 14"I thought, 'How strange! It is as though he has known me for a long time.' Then he said, 'Do you see a light?'
  14555. 15"I said, Yes, sir. Before I go to sleep, something like a light keeps circling near my forehead."
  14556. 16M.: Do you still see it?
  14557. 17Narendra: "Earlier I used to see it a great deal. One day in Jadu Mallick's kitchen house he touched me and said something to himself, and I lost cons…
  14558. 18"When he heard I was to be married, he had wept, clasping the feet of Mother Kali. Weeping, he had said, 'Mother, turn all that aside, Mother. Let Nar…
  14559. 19"When my father died and my mother and brothers were going hungry, one day I went with Annada Guha and met him.
  14560. 20"He said to Annada Guha, 'Narendra's father has died; they are in great distress; if friends and relations would help now, it would be well.
  14561. 21"When Annada Guha had gone, I began to scold him. I said, Why did you say such things to him? Rebuked, he began to weep and said, 'Ah, my boy, I could…
  14562. 22By his love he had brought us under his sway. What do you say?"
  14563. 23M.: Not a particle of doubt. His love is without cause.
  14564. 24Narendra: One day he told me something when I was alone. No one else was there. You will not tell this to anyone else (among us).
  14565. 25M.: No. What was it he said?
  14566. 26Narendra: "He said, I, you see, have no way of using siddhis. I will use them through you; what do you say? I said, 'No, that cannot be.'
  14567. 27"I used to brush his words aside—you have heard this from him. He sees forms of God; about that I had said, 'All that is an error of the mind.'
  14568. 28"He said, Ah, I used to call out from the top of the kuthi, O devotees, wherever you are, come—my life is ebbing away for want of seeing you! Mother h…
  14569. 29"And what more was I to say then; I kept silent.
  14570. 30Narendra's Home in the Indivisible: Narendra's Ego
  14571. 31"One day, with the door of the room shut, he had spoken about me to Devendra Babu and Girish Babu: 'If he is told his home, he will not keep the body'…
  14572. 32M.: Yes, I have heard it. And he had said it to us too, many times. While you were at Cossipore you once had that state, didn't you?
  14573. 33Narendra: "In that state it feels as if I have no body; I can see only the face. The Master was in the room above. That state came upon me downstairs!…
  14574. 34"When I saw him, he said, 'Now you have found out; the key stays with me!—I said, 'What has become of me!'
  14575. 35"He looked towards the other devotees and said, 'If he comes to know himself, he will not keep the body; I have kept him from remembering."
  14576. 36"One day he had said, If you wish it, you can see Krishna within your heart. I said, I don't believe in any Kishta-fishta." M. and Narendra laughed.
  14577. 37"Another thing I have noticed: when I see certain places, things or people, I feel I have seen them before, in some other birth. As if I knew them! Wh…
  14578. 38"I used to act after my own mind; he (the Master) would say nothing. I had become a member of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, you know that, don't you?"
  14579. 39M.: Yes, I know that.
  14580. 40Narendra: "He knew that women go there. One cannot meditate with women before one, and so he would find fault with it. But to me he would say nothing!…
  14581. 41M.: You have more strength of mind; that is why he did not forbid you.
  14582. 42Narendra: "Only after much suffering and hardship has this state come about. Master Mahashay, you have not known suffering, and so—I mean, without suf…
  14583. 43"Well ..... so gentle and free of ego; such humility! Can you tell me how humility may come to me?"
  14584. 44M.: About your ego he has said—this "I", whose is it?
  14585. 45Narendra: What does that mean?
  14586. 46M.: That is, one sakhi is saying to Radhika, Your ego has grown—that is why you insulted Krishna. Another sakhi was answering her, Yes, Srimati did ha…
  14587. 47Narendra: But I shout it aloud that I have no sorrow!
  14588. 48M., smiling: "Then shout and call out for the fun of it." Both laughed.
  14589. 49Now the talk turned to other devotees, Vijay Goswami and others.
  14590. 50Narendra: He had said of Vijay Goswami, "He is knocking on the door".
  14591. 51M.: "That is, he has not yet been able to enter the room.
  14592. 52"But at the house in Shyampukur Vijay Goswami had said to the Master, 'I have seen you in Dacca in this form, in this body.' You were there too."
  14593. 53Narendra: Devendra Babu, Ram Babu, they are all going to renounce the world; they are making a great effort. Ram Babu has said privately that he will…
  14594. 54M.: In two years? Once the womenfolk are provided for, I suppose?
  14595. 55Narendra: And he will let that house out. And he will buy a small house. The daughter's marriage and all that, they will see to.
  14596. 56M.: Gopal is in a fine state; isn't he?
  14597. 57Narendra: What state!
  14598. 58M.: Such bhava, tears and the hair standing on end at the name of Hari!
  14599. 59Narendra: "Does a man become great just because he has bhava!
  14600. 60"Kali, Sarat, Sashi, Sarada—how much greater they are than Gopal! What renunciation they have! Where does Gopal accept him (Sri Ramakrishna)?"
  14601. 61M.: He did say so, it is true: he is not one of those who belong here. But I have seen that he used to show the Master great devotion.
  14602. 62Narendra: What have you seen?
  14603. 63M.: When I first began going to Dakshineswar, one day, after the gathering of devotees in the Master's room had broken up, I came out of the room and…
  14604. 64Narendra: I did not see it.
  14605. 65M.: And now and then he would say, "His is the paramahamsa state." But this too I remember well: the Master had forbidden him to go back and forth to…
  14606. 66Narendra: "And he has said to me, if his is the paramahamsa state, then why the money! And he has said, 'He is not one of those who belong here. Those…
  14607. 67"That is why he used to be angry with Babu: he was always keeping company, and did not come to the Master much.
  14608. 68"He had said to me—'Gopal is a siddha, a sudden siddha; he is not one of those who belong here. If he were my own, why have I not wept to see him?'
  14609. 69"Some have set him up as Nityananda. But how many times he (the Master) has said, 'I alone am Advaita, Chaitanya and Nityananda, the three in one.
  14610. 1Chapter Two
  14611. 2Narendra Speaks of Former Days
  14612. 3In the Math, in Kali Tapasvi's room, two devotees are sitting, one a renouncer and one a householder. Both are twenty-four or twenty-five years old. T…
  14613. 4Today is Good Friday, the eighth of April, a Friday. It is now about eight in the morning. On arriving, M. goes to the shrine room and bows down. Then…
  14614. 5The renouncing devotee: Whatever work there is—get it done with. Just do a bit, and after that it will all be over.
  14615. 6"A man had heard that he was bound for hell. He said to a friend, 'What sort of thing is hell, eh?' The friend took a bit of chalk and began to draw h…
  14616. 7The householder devotee: I don't care for the world. Ah, how well off you all are!
  14617. 8The renouncing devotee: Why do you chatter so much? If you are going to leave, then go.—Why, enjoy it once to your heart's content, won't you.
  14618. 9After nine o'clock Sashi performed the worship in the shrine room.
  14619. 10It struck about eleven. One after another the brothers of the Math came from their bath in the Ganges. After the bath each put on a clean cloth, went…
  14620. 11After the food had been offered to the Master, the brothers of the Math sat down and received the prasad; M. too received the prasad along with them.
  14621. 12Evening came. Incense was offered, and after it, in due course, the arati was performed. In the room of the Danas, Rakhal, Sashi, Buro Gopal and Haris…
  14622. 13Rakhal, to Sashi and others: One day I had eaten his snack first. He saw it and said, 'I cannot look at you. Why have you done this deed!'—I began to…
  14623. 14Buro Gopal: At Cossipore I had breathed out hard over his food, and then he said, 'Let that food be.'
  14624. 15M. is walking on the verandah with Narendra, and the two of them are talking of many things.
  14625. 16Narendra said, I used to accept nothing at all, you see.—Do you know?
  14626. 17M.: What, forms and all that?
  14627. 18Narendra: Of the things he used to say, at first I would not accept a great many. One day he had said, 'Then why do you come?'
  14628. 19"I said, I come to see you, not to hear your words."
  14629. 20M.: What did he say?
  14630. 21Narendra: He was very happy.
  14631. 1The next day, Saturday, the ninth of April, 1887. After the food offering to the Master, the brothers of the Math have taken their meal and have reste…
  14632. 2M.: You remember the day of your first meeting well.
  14633. 3Narendra: That was at Dakshineswar, in the Kali temple garden. It was in his very room. On that day I had sung these two songs:
  14634. 4O mind, go to your own home. In the foreign land of the world, in a stranger's dress, why do you wander without cause? The five objects of the senses…
  14635. 5Song: O, will my days go by fruitless? Day and night, O Lord, I am watching the road of hope. You are the Lord of the three worlds; I am a beggar with…
  14636. 6M.: What did he say when he heard the songs?
  14637. 7Narendra: He had gone into bhava. He asked Ram Babu and the others, "Who is this boy? Ah, what singing!" He told me to come again.
  14638. 8M.: Then where did you meet next.
  14639. 9Narendra: "After that, at Rajmohan's house. Then at Dakshineswar again. That time, seeing me, he began to hymn my praises in bhava. Praising me, he we…
  14640. 10"But you will not tell these things to anyone."
  14641. 11M.: What else did he say?
  14642. 12Narendra: You have taken a body and come for my sake. I had said to the Mother, "Mother, can I go! If I go, whom shall I talk with? Mother, if I do no…
  14643. 13M.: That is to say, at one and the same time you are present and absent too, just as God is with form and also without form!
  14644. 14Narendra: But you will not tell this to anyone.
  14645. 15The Command to Narendra to Teach the People
  14646. 16Narendra: At Cossipore he transmitted power to me.
  14647. 17M.: That was when you used to light a dhuni and sit under the tree in the Cossipore garden, wasn't it?
  14648. 18Narendra: "Yes. I said to Kali, Just hold my hand. Kali said, Some kind of shock passed into my body when I touched yours.
  14649. 19"You will not tell this to anyone among us; promise me."
  14650. 20M.: He transmitted power into you; there is a special purpose in it; much work will be done through you. One day, writing on a sheet of paper, he had…
  14651. 21Narendra: "But I had said, 'I can't do all that'."
  14652. 22"He said, 'Your bones will do it.' He has given Sarat into my charge. He is full of longing now. His Kundalini has awakened."
  14653. 23M.: Now let no leaves gather. The Master used to say, perhaps you remember, that in a pond there are hollows, that is, holes, for the fish, where the…
  14654. 24Narendra's Home in the Indivisible
  14655. 25Narendra: He used to call me Narayana.
  14656. 26M.: "He used to call you 'Narayana'; that I know."
  14657. 27Narendra: "During his illness he would not let me hand him the water for washing after nature's call.
  14658. 28"At Cossipore he said: 'The key stays with me. If he can come to know himself, he will give up the body.'
  14659. 29M.: That was when that state had come upon you one day, wasn't it?
  14660. 30Narendra: At that time I felt as if I had no body, only my face was there. I had been studying law at home, to sit for the examination. Then all of a…
  14661. 31M.: When the Master was at Cossipore?
  14662. 32Narendra: Yes. I came out of the house like a madman! He asked, "What do you want?" I said, "I shall stay absorbed in samadhi." He said, "You are a ma…
  14663. 33M.: Yes, he used to say, after jnana, vijnana. Having climbed to the roof, to go up and down the stairs again.
  14664. 34Narendra: "Kali goes on about jnana, jnana. I scold him. Is jnana a thing one does? Let bhakti ripen first."
  14665. 35"And at Dakshineswar he had told Tarak Babu, 'Bhava and bhakti are nothing final.'
  14666. 36M.: Tell me, what else has he said about you?
  14667. 37Narendra: "He had such faith in my words that when I said, The forms and such that you see are all errors of the mind, he went to the Mother and asked…
  14668. 38"He used to say, perhaps you remember, 'When I hear your songs, He who is within here,' and he showed it, putting his hand on his breast, 'hisses like…
  14669. 39"But, Master Mahashay, he said so much; yet what has come of it for me!"
  14670. 40M.: Now you have dressed as Siva; there is no taking money. You remember the Master's story, surely?
  14671. 41Narendra: What is it? Do tell it, just once.
  14672. 42M.: A bahurupi had dressed up as Siva. The people of the house he went to had come to give him a rupee; he did not take it. Having washed his hands an…
  14673. 43Hearing this, Narendra began to laugh heartily, and laughed for a long while.
  14674. 44M.: Now you have taken the part of the roja, the healer. Everything is in your charge. You will make men of the brothers of the Math.
  14675. 45Narendra: The sadhana and such that we are doing is all at his word. But the strange thing is that Ram Babu taunts us over this sadhana. Ram Babu says…
  14676. 46M.: Let each, then, do as his faith tells him.
  14677. 47Narendra: But he has told us to practise sadhana.
  14678. 48Narendra is speaking again of the Master's love.
  14679. 49Narendra: How much he has said to the Mother on my account. When I was getting nothing to eat, my father had died, there was great hardship at home, t…
  14680. 50M.: That I know; I had heard it from you.
  14681. 51Narendra: "No money came. He said, The Mother has said, coarse rice and coarse cloth there may be. Rice and dal there may be.'
  14682. 52"Such love for me, and yet whenever any impure feeling had come, he knew it at once! When I used to go about with Annada, I had now and then fallen in…
  14683. 53"At times a strong unbelief comes over me. At Baburam's house I felt there was nothing. As if there were no God or any such thing at all."
  14684. 54M.: Why, the Master used to say that such a state came upon him too at times.
  14685. 55The two of them are silent. M. is saying, "Blessed are you all! Night and day you think of Him!" Narendra says, "Where is that? Because I cannot see H…
  14686. 56Night had fallen. Niranjan had come back a short while before from Puri, the holy place. Seeing him, the brothers of the Math and M. all showed their…
  14687. 57The brothers of the Math sat down with Niranjan to their night meal. The food was bread, one vegetable dish and a little molasses; and a little of the…
  14688. 1Appendix
  14689. 2Sri Ramakrishna in the Hearts of His Devotees
  14690. 3Chapter One
  14691. 4Sri Ramakrishna's First Math, and the Sadhana and Intense Renunciation of Narendra and the Others
  14692. 5Today is the full moon of Vaisakh: 7 May 1887, a Saturday afternoon. Narendra is talking with M. The two of them are sitting on a wooden cot in a grou…
  14693. 6Mani does his studying in that room. He had been reading Merchant of Venice, Comus, Blackie's self-culture and the like. He is preparing his lessons.…
  14694. 7A few months have passed since Sri Ramakrishna went away to his own abode, leaving the devotees adrift on a shoreless sea. The bond of love that tied…
  14695. 8The young devotees had stayed at the Cossipore garden and served him night and day. After he passed from sight they went back, each to his own home, a…
  14696. 9Two or three of them had no home to go back to. Surendra said to them: Brothers, where else will you go? Let us take a house. You will live there, and…
  14697. 10Within a few days Narendra, Rakhal, Niranjan, Sarat, Sashi, Baburam, Jogin, Kali and Latu stayed on and did not go home again. In time Prasanna and Su…
  14698. 11Blessed are you, Surendra! This first Math was built by your hands! Through your good wish this ashrama came to be! Making you his instrument, Sri Ram…
  14699. 12The Longing of Narendra and the Others for God, and the Talk of Fasting unto Death
  14700. 13In that ground-floor room in Calcutta Narendra is talking with Mani. Narendra is now the leader of the devotees. Intense renunciation fills the hearts…
  14701. 14Narendra, to Mani: Nothing pleases me. Here I am talking with you, and I want to get up and go this very moment.
  14702. 15Narendra kept silent for a while. After a while he speaks again: Shall I fast unto death?
  14703. 16Mani: That would be fine! For God one can do anything at all.
  14704. 17Narendra: What if I can't hold out against the hunger?
  14705. 18Mani: Then eat, and set about it again.
  14706. 19Narendra was silent again for a while.
  14707. 20Narendra: I feel there is no God! However much I pray, not once have I had an answer.
  14708. 21"How much I have seen: mantras blazing in letters of gold!
  14709. 22"So many forms of Kali, and other forms besides, I have seen! Still there is no peace!
  14710. 23"Will you give me six pice?"
  14711. 24Narendra is going from Shobhabazar to the Math at Baranagore in a shared carriage; hence the six pice.
  14712. 25Before long Satu (Satkari) arrived in a carriage. Satu is the same age as Narendra. He loves the young men of the Math dearly and goes to the Math all…
  14713. 26Narendra gave the pice back to Mani and said: Well, that settles it; I'll go with Satu. Give us something to eat. Mani gave them a light meal.
  14714. 27Mani too got into that carriage; he would go with them to the Math. At dusk they all reached the Math. Mani will see how the brothers of the Math are…
  14715. 28Sri Ramakrishna's Household of Vidya, and Narendra's Care of It
  14716. 29Narendra is looking after the brothers of the Math. Prasanna had been practising sadhana for some days. Narendra had raised the matter of fasting unto…
  14717. 30Narendra: "Raja! Let him come; I'll give him a piece of my mind! Why did he let him go?" Then, to Harish: "You were busy lecturing with your legs plan…
  14718. 31Harish, very softly: Tarakda had told him, but he went all the same.
  14719. 32Narendra, to M.: Look, I'm in a dreadful fix. Here too I've fallen into a household of maya. And now the lad has gone off somewhere.
  14720. 33Rakhal has come back from the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. Bhavanath had taken him there.
  14721. 34Narendra told Rakhal about Prasanna. Prasanna had written Narendra a letter, and the letter is being read. The letter runs to this effect: "I am setti…
  14722. 35Rakhal says: He has gone for all those different reasons. He also said, "Narendra goes home often, to get news of his mother and his brothers and sist…
  14723. 36Hearing this, Narendra kept silent.
  14724. 37Rakhal is talking of going on pilgrimage. He says, 'Staying here, nothing at all has come of it'. What he had told them of, the vision of God, where i…
  14725. 38Rakhal: Come, let's set out for the Narmada.
  14726. 39Narendra: What will wandering do? Does jnana come of it? And for that you go on crying jnana, jnana!
  14727. 40A devotee: Then why did you renounce the world?
  14728. 41Narendra: Because I didn't get Rama I'm to live with Syam, and be the father of sons and daughters! What kind of talk is that!
  14729. 42Saying this, Narendra got up and went out for a little while. Rakhal was lying down. After a while Narendra came back and sat down again.
  14730. 43One of the brothers, lying there, speaks in jest, as though he were in sore distress at not seeing God: "Somebody bring me a knife, will you! I've had…
  14731. 44Narendra, gravely: "It's right there; reach out a hand and take it." Everyone laughed.
  14732. 45The talk turned again to Prasanna.
  14733. 46Narendra: Maya here too! Then why sannyas at all?
  14734. 47Rakhal: In that book, "Mukti and Its Sadhana", it says that it is not good for sannyasis to live together. It speaks of a "city of sannyasis".
  14735. 48Sashi: I don't hold with sannyas and all that. No place is forbidden to me. There is no place where I can't live.
  14736. 49The talk fell on Bhavanath. Bhavanath's wife had been dangerously ill.
  14737. 50Narendra, to Rakhal: So Bhavanath's woman has pulled through, I suppose; that's why he had gone off to Dakshineswar for an outing in such high spirits…
  14738. 51There was talk of the garden at Kankurgachi! Ram is going to build a temple.
  14739. 52Narendra, to Rakhal: Ram Babu has named M. a trustee.
  14740. 53Trustee
  14741. 54M., to Rakhal: Why, I know nothing about it.
  14742. 55Evening fell! Sashi burned incense in Sri Ramakrishna's room. He burned incense wherever pictures of the deities hung in the other rooms, and bowed be…
  14743. 56Now the arati is going on. The brothers of the Math and the other devotees all stand with folded hands, watching the arati. Cymbal and bell are soundi…
  14744. 57Victory to Siva, the Omkara; worship the Omkara, Siva. Brahma, Vishnu, Sadasiva; Hara, Hara, Hara, Mahadeva!
  14745. 58Narendra has started this song among them. It is sung at Kasi, before the shrine of Viswanath.
  14746. 59Mani has found the greatest joy in seeing the devotees of the Math.
  14747. 60It was eleven o'clock before supper at the Math was over. The devotees all lay down to sleep. With much care they settled Mani in his bed.
  14748. 61It is midnight. Mani cannot sleep. He is thinking: everyone is here; it is that same Ayodhya, only Rama is not there. Mani rose without a sound and we…
  14749. 62The Renunciation of Narendra and the Other Brothers of the Math, and the Reading of the Yogavasishtha; the Joy of Sankirtan, and Dancing
  14750. 63M. had come on Saturday. He will stay at the Math until Wednesday, that is, for five days. Today is Sunday. The householder devotees mostly come to vi…
  14751. 64M.: Well, how is the knowledge of Brahman set out in the Yogavasishtha?
  14752. 65Rakhal: Hunger, thirst, happiness, sorrow: all this is maya! The destruction of the mind is the way.
  14753. 66M.: What remains after the mind is destroyed, that is Brahman. Is that it?
  14754. 67Rakhal: Yes.
  14755. 68M.: The Master too used to say that. Nangta had told him the same thing. Well, have you seen anything to show that Vasishtha told Rama to lead the lif…
  14756. 69Rakhal: No, I haven't found it so far. Rama is not accepted as an Avatar at all.
  14757. 70While this talk was going on, Narendra, Tarak and one other devotee returned from the Ganges bank. They had wanted to go for an outing to Konnagar, bu…
  14758. 71Narendra, to M.: There are fine stories in it. Do you know the story of Lila?
  14759. 72M.: Yes, it is in the Yogavasishtha; I have been looking into it bit by bit. Lila attained the knowledge of Brahman, didn't she?
  14760. 73Narendra: Yes. And the dialogue of Indra and Ahalya? And King Viduratha becoming a chandala?
  14761. 74M.: Yes, I remember.
  14762. 75Narendra: How marvellous the description of the forest is.
  14763. 76In a certain country there lived a king named Padma, and his wife named Lila. Longing for her husband's immortality, Lila worshipped the goddess Saras…
  14764. 77King Viduratha did not become a chandala. It was King Lavana who did. Through the magic of a sorcerer, within a single moment he lived through a whole…
  14765. 78The Brothers of the Math: Their Daily Bath in the Ganges and Worship of the Guru
  14766. 79Narendra and the other devotees are going to bathe in the Ganges. M. too will bathe. Seeing the sun, M. has taken an umbrella. Sri Saratchandra of Bar…
  14767. 80M., to Sarat: What a blazing sun!
  14768. 81Narendra: "So that's it: let me take the umbrella." M. laughed.
  14769. 82With their towels over their shoulders, the devotees are going from the Math by the road to bathe at the ghat north of the Paramanik Ghat. All are wea…
  14770. 83M., to Narendra: A sunstroke is on its way!
  14771. 84Narendra: The body is what stands in the way of your renunciation, isn't it? Yours, Deben Babu's—
  14772. 85M. began to laugh, and he began to think, "Is it the body alone?"
  14773. 86After bathing, the devotees came back to the Math, washed their feet and went into Sri Ramakrishna's room. Bowing down, one by one they offered flower…
  14774. 87Narendra had been a little late coming to the worship room. Having bowed to Gurumaharaj, he goes to take flowers and sees that there are no flowers in…
  14775. 88The Room of the Danas, the Shrine Room, and Kali Tapasvi's Room
  14776. 89The brothers of the Math called themselves danas and daityas. The room where they all sat together they called "the room of the danas". Those who prac…
  14777. 90At the eastern corner of the room of the danas was a hall. When there was a festival, the feasting took place in this hall. Directly north of the hall…
  14778. 91East of the shrine room and Kali Tapasvi's room ran a verandah. At the south-west corner of the verandah was the library room of a society of Baranago…
  14779. 92Seated in the room of the danas, Narendra sings the name and glories of God in a voice the gods themselves would find rare. Sarat taught the other bro…
  14780. 93Narendra and the Preaching of Religion; the Yoga of Meditation and the Yoga of Work
  14781. 94Narendra is sitting in the room of the danas. Devotees are sitting there: Chunilal, M. and the brothers of the Math. Talk turned to the preaching of r…
  14782. 95M., to Narendra: Vidyasagar says, I tell no one about God, for fear of being caned.
  14783. 96Narendra: For fear of being caned?
  14784. 97M.: "Vidyasagar says, suppose we all went to God after dying. Suppose Yama's messengers took Keshab Sen to God! Keshab Sen has of course committed sin…
  14785. 98"And so Vidyasagar says, I cannot manage myself, and on top of that to be caned for others!" Everyone laughed. "I myself understand nothing about God;…
  14786. 99Narendra: Whoever has not understood this, how did he understand all the other things?
  14787. 100M.: What other things?
  14788. 101Narendra: Whoever has not understood this, how did he understand compassion and doing good to others? How did he understand the school? That one must…
  14789. 102"He who understands the one thing aright understands all."
  14790. 103M., to himself: The Master did say, 'He who has known God understands everything.' And about leading the household life and running schools he had tol…
  14791. 104After the meal the brothers of the Math are resting. Mani and Chunilal are sitting and talking on the landing of the inner-apartment staircase that li…
  14792. 105Narendra, to Mani: And Viduratha becoming a chandala?
  14793. 106Mani: Is it Lavana you are speaking of?
  14794. 107Narendra: Oh! You have read it?
  14795. 108Mani: Yes, I have read a little.
  14796. 109Narendra: What, have you read the book here?
  14797. 110Mani: No, I had read a little at home.
  14798. 111Narendra is telling Chhota Gopal to bring tobacco. Chhota Gopal had been meditating a little.
  14799. 112Narendra, to Gopal: "Hey, fill the pipe! What's this meditating! First serve the Master and the holy men and make your preparation. Meditation after t…
  14800. 113Adjoining the Math house on the west is a good stretch of land, with many trees and plants on it. M. is sitting alone under a tree when Prasanna arriv…
  14801. 114M.: Where had you gone these few days? Everyone has been anxious about you. Have you seen them? When did you come?
  14802. 115Prasanna: I came just now, and I have seen them.
  14803. 116M.: You wrote a letter saying you were off to Vrindavan! We were terribly anxious! How far did you get?
  14804. 117Prasanna: "I had got as far as Konnagar." The two of them laughed.
  14805. 118M.: Sit down and tell me the story a little; let me hear it. Where did you go first?
  14806. 119Prasanna: To the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. I stayed there one night.
  14807. 120M., smiling: What is Hazra Mahashay's mood these days?
  14808. 121Prasanna: "Hazra says, What do you take me for?" Both of them laughed.
  14809. 122M., smiling: What did you say?
  14810. 123Prasanna: I kept quiet.
  14811. 124M.: And then?
  14812. 125Prasanna: "Then he says again, Have you brought tobacco for me?" Both of them laughed. "He wants to put me to work for him!" There was laughter.
  14813. 126M.: Then where did you go?
  14814. 127Prasanna: By and by I went to Konnagar. I lay the night at a certain spot. I thought I would go on farther. I asked some gentlemen whether the railway…
  14815. 128M.: What did they say?
  14816. 129Prasanna: "They say you might get a rupee or a four-anna piece. Who would give so big a railway fare?" Both of them laughed.
  14817. 130M.: What did you have with you?
  14818. 131Prasanna: A cloth or two. There was a picture of the Paramahamsa. I didn't show the picture to anyone.
  14819. 132The Father and the Son: Parents First, or God First?
  14820. 133Sri Sashi's father has come. He means to take his son away from the Math. During Sri Ramakrishna's illness Sashi had served him for about nine months…
  14821. 134After Sri Ramakrishna had gone to his own abode, Sashi's father thought that this time, it seemed, he would come home. But after some days at home, an…
  14822. 135The father knew M. Walking with him on the upper verandah, he began to talk.
  14823. 136The father: Who is the head here? It is this Narendra who is the root of all the mischief! They had gone back home quite nicely. They were taking up t…
  14824. 137M.: There is no head here; all are equal. What can Narendra do? Does a man come away unless he wants to himself? Have we been able to leave home altog…
  14825. 138The father: You people are doing well, you know. You keep both sides. Is there no religion in what you are doing? That is just what we want too. Let h…
  14826. 139M. was grieved and stayed silent.
  14827. 140The father: And all this wandering about, hunting for holy men! I can take him to a good holy man. A holy man has come to Indranarayan's, a wonderful…
  14828. 141Rakhal's Renunciation; the Sannyasi and Woman
  14829. 142Rakhal and M. are walking on the eastern verandah of Kali Tapasvi's room. They are talking about the Master and the devotees.
  14830. 143Rakhal, urgently: M., sir, come, let us all practise sadhana.
  14831. 144"That is why I did not go back home again. If someone says, You have not attained God, so why go on any longer, well, Narendra answers it nicely: beca…
  14832. 145M.: That is quite true. Rakhal Babu, I see your mind too has grown very restless.
  14833. 146Rakhal: M., sir, what shall I tell you? At midday my heart was restless to go to the Narmada! M., sir, practise sadhana; without it nothing comes of a…
  14834. 147M.: That is from the Yogopanishad. Sukadeva was fleeing from the kingdom of maya. Yes, there is a fine conversation between Vyasa and Sukadeva. Vyasa…
  14835. 148Rakhal: Many people think it is enough simply not to look at women. What is the use of lowering your head when you see a woman? Narendra put it well l…
  14836. 149M.: Quite right. Children have no sense of boy and girl.
  14837. 150Rakhal: That is why I say we need sadhana. Unless one goes beyond maya, how will knowledge come? Come, let us go to the big room; some gentlemen have…
  14838. 151Narendra and Self-Surrender (Resignation)
  14839. 152Narendra is talking. M. did not go in. Pacing the hall on the east side of the big room, he could hear some of it.
  14840. 153Narendra is saying: For the sandhya and such rites there is no fixed place or time.
  14841. 154A gentleman: Well, sir, if one practises sadhana, will He be attained?
  14842. 155Narendra: It is His grace. In the Gita He says:
  14843. 156The Lord dwells in the heart of all beings, O Arjuna, whirling all beings by His maya, as though they were set upon a machine. Take refuge in Him alon…
  14844. 157"Without His grace, sadhana and worship achieve nothing. That is why one has to take refuge in Him."
  14845. 158The gentleman: We shall come now and then and trouble you.
  14846. 159Narendra: Well, come whenever it suits you.
  14847. 160"We go to bathe at the bathing ghat on the Ganges at your place."
  14848. 161The gentleman: To that we have no objection, only other people should not go.
  14849. 162Narendra: If you say so, we shall simply not go.
  14850. 163The gentleman: No, it isn't that; but if you see several people going, then don't go.
  14851. 164The Arati and Narendra's Reading of the Guru Gita
  14852. 165After dusk the arati was performed. Once more the devotees, with folded palms, began to sing the Master's praises, chanting "Jaya Siva Omkara" in one…
  14853. 166The bliss of Brahman, the giver of the highest joy, the One alone, knowledge in bodily form, beyond the pairs of opposites, vast as the sky, the one a…
  14854. 167He sang again:
  14855. 168There is nothing beyond the Guru, nothing beyond the Guru: so Siva has ordained, so Siva has ordained. The blessed Guru, the supreme Brahman, I procla…
  14856. 169Narendra is reciting the Guru Gita to a tune. And the devotees' minds became still, like the flame of a lamp in a windless place, without a quiver. Tr…
  14857. 170Sri Ramakrishna's Love, and Rakhal
  14858. 171Rakhal is sitting in Kali Tapasvi's room. Prasanna is beside him. M. too is in that room.
  14859. 172Rakhal has come away, renouncing child and wife. Intense renunciation fills his heart; he keeps thinking of nothing but this: let me go away alone to…
  14860. 173Rakhal, to Prasanna: Where is it you keep running off to? Here there is the company of holy men. Is this a thing to leave? And the company of a man li…
  14861. 174Prasanna: My father and mother are in Calcutta. I am afraid their love may draw me to them; that is why I want to run far away.
  14862. 175Rakhal: Do father and mother love us as much as Gurumaharaj loved us? What have we done for him, that there should be so much love? Why was he so eage…
  14863. 176M., to himself: Ah, Rakhal has spoken truly! That is why they call him the ocean of grace that asks no cause.
  14864. 177Prasanna: Don't you feel the urge to go off somewhere?
  14865. 178Rakhal: The fancy takes me to go and stay for a while on the bank of the Narmada. Every so often I think, let me go to one of those places, live in so…
  14866. 179Does God Exist?
  14867. 180In the room of the danas, Tarak and Prasanna are talking. Tarak has no mother. His father, like Rakhal's father, has married a second time. Tarak too…
  14868. 181Prasanna: Neither knowledge has come nor love. What is there to live by?
  14869. 182Tarak: Knowledge is hard to come by, true enough. But how is it that love has not come?
  14870. 183Prasanna: I could not weep, so how is love to come? And what has come of it all this time?
  14871. 184Tarak: Why, you have seen the Paramahamsa Mashay, haven't you? And why should knowledge not come either?
  14872. 185Prasanna: What knowledge is to come? Knowledge means knowing. What will one know? Whether God exists or not, even that is not certain.
  14873. 186Tarak: Yes, that is so. In the view of the jnani there is no God.
  14874. 187M., to himself: Ah, the state Prasanna is in! The Master would say that those who long for God come into such a state. At times one feels unsure wheth…
  14875. 188Chapter Two
  14876. 189Narendra with the Brothers; What Lies in Narendra's Heart
  14877. 190In the meditation room, that is, the room of Kali Tapasvi, Narendra and Prasanna are talking. In another part of the room are Rakhal, Harish and Chhot…
  14878. 191Narendra is reading the Gita aloud and letting Prasanna hear it:
  14879. 192The Lord, O Arjuna, dwells in the heart of every being, by His maya making all beings whirl, as though mounted on a machine. Go to Him alone for refug…
  14880. 193Narendra: Do you see? 'Mounted on a machine'? Making all beings whirl by maya, mounted on a machine. Wanting to know God. You are a worm among worms,…
  14881. 194Narendra is singing:
  14882. 195'You are our Father, we are mere children.' In the dust of the earth, O God, was our birth; in the dust of the earth our eyes are blind. Born as child…
  14883. 196"Lie there. Lie there, having taken refuge in Him!
  14884. 197As though overcome, Narendra sings again:
  14885. 198The Way: Taking Refuge
  14886. 199Lord, I am Your slave, I am Your slave, I am Your slave; You are my Dewan, You are my Dewan, You are my Dewan. Two loaves of bread and one loincloth:…
  14887. 200"Don't you remember what he said? God is a mountain of sugar. You are an ant; a single grain fills your stomach! And you imagine you will carry the wh…
  14888. 201"God is the ocean of mercy. Stay there, having taken refuge in Him; He will show you grace! Pray to Him:
  14889. 202'With that gracious face of Yours, protect me always—' "From the unreal lead me to the real; from darkness lead me to light. From death lead me to imm…
  14890. 203Prasanna: What spiritual practice should one take up?
  14891. 204Narendra: Simply take His name. Don't you remember the Master's song?
  14892. 205Narendra is singing that song of the Paramahamsa's:
  14893. 206The Way: His Name
  14894. 207(1) In Your name alone, O Syama, is all my trust. What need have I of kosha and kushi, of false toothy smiles and the world's customs? By the name the…
  14895. 208(2) We are mere children, and very small of mind; at every step, Father, our feet slip. Why then do You show all of us the face of Rudra? Why do we se…
  14896. 209Does God Exist? Is God Merciful?
  14897. 210Prasanna: You say God exists. And yet it is you yourself who say that Charvaka and many others have taught that this world came into being of its own…
  14898. 211Narendra: Haven't you read chemistry? Come now, who is to make the combination? To make water, for instance, oxygen, hydrogen and electricity, all the…
  14899. 212Prasanna: How am I to know that there is mercy?
  14900. 213Narendra: "That gracious face of Yours." The Veda says it.
  14901. 214"John Stuart Mill too has said just this: He who has put this mercy into man, who can tell how much mercy there is in Him! That is what Mill says. He…
  14902. 215So saying, Narendra sings again in his sweet voice:
  14903. 216The Way: Faith
  14904. 217Where do you search for Me, O servant? I am right beside you. I am not in jhagri bigri, nor in the knife or the chopper; I am not in the skin or the h…
  14905. 218While Desire Remains, Faith in God Fails
  14906. 219Prasanna: "Sometimes you say there is no God; and now again you are saying all these things. There is no relying on what you say; you often change you…
  14907. 220Narendra: This I shall never change: as long as there is craving and desire, so long there is disbelief in God. Some desire or other is always there.…
  14908. 1Narendra, his voice choked with devotion, began to sing. 'He is tender to all who take refuge in Him, the supreme Father and Mother'.
  14909. 2Victory, O Lord, victory, O Lord, victory to the Giver of all good, victory, victory to the Giver of good. Saviour from peril, fear and sorrow, Guardi…
  14910. 3Narendra sang again. He was calling on the brothers to drink the cup of Hari's nectar. God is very near indeed—as the musk is to the deer—
  14911. 4Drink, O Avadhut, and be drunk: the cup of love, of the nectar of Hari! Childhood was frittered in play; when youth came, one fell into a woman's powe…
  14912. 5From the verandah M. is listening to all this.
  14913. 6Narendra rose to his feet. As he came away from the room he was saying: My head has grown hot with all this talking! Seeing M. on the verandah, he sai…
  14914. 7One of the brothers of the Math was saying to Narendra, "And yet you say there is no God!" Narendra began to laugh.
  14915. 8Narendra's Intense Renunciation: Narendra Condemns the Householder's Life
  14916. 9The next day, Monday the ninth of May. In the morning M. is sitting under a tree in the garden of the Math. M. is thinking: "The Master has made the b…
  14917. 10"The same Ayodhya! Only Rama is missing!
  14918. 11"These he made leave home. Why is it that he has kept some few at home? Is there no way out of this?"
  14919. 12From the room upstairs Narendra sees M. sitting alone under the tree. He comes down and, smiling, says, "Well, M., sir! What is going on?" As they tal…
  14920. 13Narendra intones the hymn Aparadhabhanjana. Householders have forgotten God—how many offences they commit—in childhood, in their prime, in old age! Wh…
  14921. 14In childhood, sorrow beyond measure, my body smeared with filth, a craving for the breast; I have no power over the senses; foes born of the world's q…
  14922. 15The hymn is over. The talk is going on again.
  14923. 16Narendra: Call it the unattached householder's life, or call it what you like: unless woman and gold are given up, it will not do. Does one feel no di…
  14924. 17In a body full of uncleanness, swarming with worms, foul-smelling by nature, its inside contemptible, steeped in urine and excrement, fools take their…
  14925. 18"He who does not delight in the words of Vedanta, who does not drink the wine of Hari's nectar—his life is in vain indeed.
  14926. 19Rooted in Om, the supreme, the final word, its heart the good speech of Gayatri and Savitri: the man who does not serve that Vedanta, vain is the life…
  14927. 20"Listen to a song—
  14928. 21"Let go of delusion—let go of evil counsel; know Him, and then your torment will go. For four days' happiness you forgot the Friend of your heart; wha…
  14929. 22"Unless one wears the kaupin there is no other way. Renunciation of the world! Saying this, he again intones the Kaupinapanchakam—
  14930. 23Ever delighting in the words of Vedanta, content with no more than food begged as alms, moving about with hearts free of grief: blessed indeed are the…
  14931. 24Narendra goes on to say, Why should a man be bound in the world, why should he be bound by maya? What is man's true nature? 'I am Siva, Consciousness…
  14932. 25Again he intones a hymn of Sankaracharya—
  14933. 26Om. I am not mind, intellect, ego or mind-stuff; not the ears or tongue, not the nose or eyes; not sky nor earth, not fire nor air: I am Siva, Conscio…
  14934. 27Narendra intones one more hymn, the Vasudevashtaka—O Madhusudana! I have taken refuge in You; be gracious to me and save me from the sleep of desire a…
  14935. 28As Om, in the form of knowledge; wasting with passion undigested, I have fallen into the sleep of desire: save me, O Madhusudana! I have no other way,…
  14936. 29M., to himself: Narendra's intense renunciation! That is why every one of the brothers of the Math is in this state. When they see those of the Master…
  14937. 30Today, after the meal, Narendra and one or two other brothers went to Calcutta. Narendra will return again at night. The lawsuit over Narendra's famil…
  14938. 1Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita: Appendix
  14939. 2The Baranagore Math
  14940. 3Today is Monday, the ninth of May, 1887, the second lunar day of the dark fortnight of Jyaishtha. Narendra and the other devotees are at the Math. Sar…
  14941. 4After their meal the brothers of the Math are resting a while. Gopal ("the elder Gopal") is copying songs into the song book.
  14942. 5Afternoon came. Rabindra arrived, like a man gone mad: bare feet, half of a black-bordered cloth about him. Like a madman's, the pupils of his eyes we…
  14943. 6Rabindra: I have walked here all the way from Calcutta on bare feet! The devotees asked, "Where has the other half of your cloth gone?" Rabindra said,…
  14944. 7Rabindra was born into a highly respected kayastha family of Calcutta. He must be twenty or twenty-one years old. At the Kali temple of Dakshineswar h…
  14945. 8Rabindra was going to bathe in the Ganges. He would go to the Paramanik ghat. A devotee was going with him. It was his great wish that in the company…
  14946. 9The two returned to the Math. In the shrine room both bowed down before the Master. The devotee said, In this room the brothers of the Math meditate.…
  14947. 10Mani: What, is your mind very restless? So that, I suppose, is why you got up? That, I suppose, is why the meditation did not go well.
  14948. 11Rabindra: That I shall not return to the world any more is certain. But the mind is restless, it is true.
  14949. 12Mani and Rabindra are standing in a secluded spot of the Math. Mani is telling the story of the Buddha. It was on hearing a song of the daughters of t…
  14950. 13Song: I long for peace, but where am I to find it, Whence I come, and whither I drift away. Again and again I return, and how I weep and laugh; Where…
  14951. 14At night Narendra, Tarak and Harish came back from Calcutta. On arriving they said, Oh, what a feast we have had! They had been invited to the house o…
  14952. 15Narendra and the brothers of the Math, and M., Rabindra and the others too, are sitting in the room of the danas. Narendra has heard the whole story o…
  14953. 16The Afflicted Soul and Narendra's Counsel
  14954. 17Narendra is singing.
  14955. 18It is as if, under cover of the song, he is giving counsel to Rabindra.
  14956. 19Song: Leave delusion, leave it, O leave your evil counsel; Know Him, and then the anguish will be gone.
  14957. 20Narendra sang again, as if speaking words for Rabindra's good:
  14958. 21Drink, O avadhuta, and be drunk, from the cup of love, of the nectar of Hari. Childhood went by in play; youth went by in the power of woman; Grown ol…
  14959. 22A little later the brothers of the Math are sitting in Kali Tapasvi's room. Two new books by Girish have come, the life of the Buddha and the life of…
  14960. 23One of the brothers of the Math is reading the life of the Buddha and the life of Chaitanya. He is reading the Chaitanya Charitamrita in a chant, a li…
  14961. 24A brother of the Math: I say no one can give love to anyone.
  14962. 25Narendra: The Paramahamsa Mahashay has given me love.
  14963. 26A brother of the Math: Well, have you got it?
  14964. 27Narendra: "What will you understand? You are Servant Class (the class of God's servants). Everyone will massage my feet, down to Sarata Mittir and Des…
  14965. 28A brother of the Math: Pre—pare it—I won't— Everyone laughs.
  14966. 29M., to himself: Sri Ramakrishna has put fire into many of the brothers of the Math, not into Narendra alone. Without this fire, can woman and gold be…
  14967. 1The Spiritual Practice of the Brothers of the Math
  14968. 2The next day, Tuesday, the tenth of May. Today is the day of Mahamaya. The brothers of the Math, Narendra and the others, are worshipping the Mother t…
  14969. 3Mani went to bathe in the Ganges. Rabindra is walking alone on the roof. He hears Narendra chanting a hymn to a tune:
  14970. 4Om. I am not mind, intellect, ego or chitta, nor the ears and tongue, nor smell and sight, Nor am I sky or earth, nor fire, nor air: I am Siva, whose…
  14971. 5Now Rabindra has come, having bathed in the Ganges. His cloth is wet.
  14972. 6Narendra, to Mani, privately: "Here he is, come from his bath; it would be fine to give him sannyas now." Mani and Narendra laughed.
  14973. 7Prasanna, telling Rabindra to take off his wet cloth, brought an ochre cloth and gave it to him!
  14974. 8Narendra, to Mani: Now it will have to be the cloth of the renouncer.
  14975. 9Mani, smiling: Renunciation of what?
  14976. 10Narendra: Renunciation of lust and gold.
  14977. 11Rabindra put on the ochre cloth, went into Kali Tapasvi's room and sat there in solitude. It seems he will meditate a little.
  14978. 1(B)
  14979. 2With Keshab at the Dakshineswar Temple
  14980. 3The first of January 1881, Saturday, the eighteenth of Paush 1287
  14981. 4Chapter One
  14982. 5The Maghotsava of the Brahmo Samaj is close at hand. Keshab Chandra Sen, bringing with him many Brahmo devotees, Pratap, Trailokya, Jaygopal Sen and o…
  14983. 6Many of the Brahmo devotees have come to the Kali temple ahead of Keshab and are sitting near the Master. All of them are restless, only looking towar…
  14984. 7Now Keshab has come. In his hands are two bel fruits and a bouquet of flowers. Touching Sri Ramakrishna's feet, Keshab laid these by him and, falling…
  14985. 8Sri Ramakrishna is laughing with joy, and he is talking with Keshab.
  14986. 9Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Keshab: Keshab, you want me, but your disciples do not want me. I was saying to your disciples, now we make a commotion,…
  14987. 10To Keshab's disciples: "There now, your Govinda has come! I have been making a commotion all this while; how would things warm up?" Everyone laughed.
  14988. 11"The vision of Govinda is not had easily. Haven't you seen in the Krishna-yatra how, when Narada, beside himself with longing, cries out in Braja, 'O…
  14989. 12To Keshab: "Keshab, you say something; all these people want to hear your words."
  14990. 13Keshab, humbly, smiling: To speak here is to come to sell needles at the smithy!
  14991. 14Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: "But do you know how it is? A devotee's nature is the nature of a hemp-smoker. You took one pull at the hemp pipe, and I too…
  14992. 15It is four o'clock in the afternoon. The music of the nahabat in the temple garden can be heard.
  14993. 16Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab and the others: Did you notice how beautiful the music is? Yet one player only holds a drone, while another raises waves of…
  14994. 17Keshab is listening to these words in amazement. And he is saying: never have I heard so wonderful, so beautiful an explanation of jnana and bhakti.
  14995. 18Keshab, to Sri Ramakrishna: How long will you stay hidden like this? By and by this place will be packed with people.
  14996. 19Sri Ramakrishna: Oh, what talk is this of yours. I eat and drink and live, and I take His name. Gathering people, I know nothing of that. Who knows yo…
  14997. 20Keshab: Very well, I shall gather the people. But all of them will have to come to your place.
  14998. 21Sri Ramakrishna: Of everyone I am the dust of the dust. Whoever is kind enough to come will come.
  14999. 22Keshab: Say what you will, your coming will not be in vain.
  15000. 23Chapter Two
  15001. 24Meanwhile a sankirtan is being got ready. Quite a number of devotees have joined it. The sankirtan party is coming southward from the Panchavati. Hrid…
  15002. 25Sri Ramakrishna took up a song:
  15003. 26O soul, take the name of Hari, if you would live in happiness. In happiness you will live, to Vaikuntha you will go; O, the fruit of liberation you wi…
  15004. 27Sri Ramakrishna is dancing with the might of a lion. Now he passed into samadhi.
  15005. 28After coming out of samadhi he has sat down in the room. He is talking with Keshab and the others.
  15006. 29The Harmony of All Religions
  15007. 30"By every path He can be reached. Just as some of you have come by carriage, some by boat, some by steamer, some on foot; each has come by whatever su…
  15008. 31The Way to the Vision of God; Giving Up Egotism
  15009. 32Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab and the others: "The more the upadhis go, the nearer He will be. Rain-water does not gather on a high mound; it gathers in…
  15010. 33"One must be very careful; there is egotism even over clothes. I have seen a man sick with an enlarged spleen put on a black-bordered cloth, and at on…
  15011. 34"Someone has put on boots, and at once English words are coming out of his mouth!
  15012. 35"If the vessel is a common one, putting on the ochre cloth brings egotism; at the least slip there is anger and wounded pride.
  15013. 36Satiety, Longing and the Realization of God
  15014. 37"Without longing He is not seen. This longing does not come unless enjoyment has run its course. Those who are in the midst of woman and gold, whose e…
  15015. 38"Back in that part of the country Hriday's son used to stay by me the whole day, a boy of four or five. He would play at this and that in front of me…
  15016. 39"Weeping for God like this child: this is the longing. Play and food, nothing pleases any longer. When enjoyment has run its course, this longing come…
  15017. 40All are listening to these words in amazement, without a sound.
  15018. 41It is evening; the farash lit the lamps and went away. Keshab and the other Brahmo devotees will all take some refreshment before they leave. The food…
  15019. 42Keshab, smiling: Puffed rice today as well?
  15020. 43Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Hridu knows.
  15021. 44The leaf plates were laid. First puffed rice, then luchi, then vegetables. Everyone was full of joy and laughter. By the time it was all over, ten o'c…
  15022. 45The Master is talking again with the Brahmo devotees at the foot of the Panchavati.
  15023. 46Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Keshab and the others: After the realization of God one can live in the world very well. Touch the granny, and then play,…
  15024. 47"After attainment the devotee is unattached, like the mud-fish. Though it lives in the mud, no mud clings to its body."
  15025. 48It is nearly eleven o'clock, and all are impatient to go. Pratap said, it would be good to stay on here tonight.
  15026. 49Sri Ramakrishna is saying to Keshab, stay here today, won't you?
  15027. 50Keshab, smiling: There is work and so on; I shall have to go.
  15028. 51Sri Ramakrishna: "Why, my dear, without the smell of your fish-basket, won't sleep come? A fishwife had been a guest for the night in a gardener's hou…
  15029. 52At the time of leave-taking, Keshab took a bouquet of flowers that had touched the Master's feet and, prostrating himself in salutation, began saying…
  15030. 53Keshab got into the carriage of the Brahmo devotee Jaygopal Sen; he will go to Calcutta.
  15031. 1(C)
  15032. 2Sri Ramakrishna's Auspicious Visit to Surendra's House
  15033. 3With Ram, Manomohan, Trailokya, Mahendra Goswami and Others
  15034. 4Chapter One
  15035. 5Today Sri Ramakrishna has come with the devotees to Surendra's house. It is a day in the month of Asharh, in the year 1881. Dusk is about to fall.
  15036. 6A short while before, in the afternoon, Sri Ramakrishna had taken a little rest at the house of Sri Manomohan.
  15037. 7The devotees have gathered in the drawing-room on the upper floor of Surendra's house. Neighbours such as Mahendra Goswami and Bholanath Pal are prese…
  15038. 8In the drawing-room a cotton floor-cloth and a sheet have been spread, and over them a handsome carpet and a bolster. Surendra led the Master in and a…
  15039. 9Sri Ramakrishna says, What is this you say. And with these words he sat down by the side of Mahendra Goswami. When the recitation of the scripture use…
  15040. 10Mahendra Goswami, to the devotees: For some months I was with him almost all the time. I have never seen so great a man. His bhavas are not ordinary b…
  15041. 11Sri Ramakrishna, to the Goswami: What is all this talk of yours. I am the meanest of the mean, the poorest of the poor; I am the servant of His servan…
  15042. 12"He who is the indivisible Satchidananda is Sri Krishna Himself. Seen from far away the ocean looks blue; go near, and it has no colour at all. He who…
  15043. 13"Why is Sri Krishna bent in three places? For love of Radha.
  15044. 14"He who is Brahman is Kali Herself, the Primal Sakti, who creates, preserves and dissolves. He who is Krishna, He Himself is Kali.
  15045. 15"The root is One; all is His play, His Lila.
  15046. 16The Way to the Vision of God
  15047. 17"He can be seen. He is seen with a pure mind, a pure intellect. When there is attachment to woman and gold, the mind grows soiled.
  15048. 18"It all turns on the mind. The mind is a cloth from the washerman's house: in whatever colour you dip it, that colour it will take! It is in the mind…
  15049. 19Sri Trailokya Sanyal and the other Brahmo devotees now came in and took their seats.
  15050. 20Surendra came with a garland to put it on the Master. He took the garland in his hand, but flung it away and set it to one side.
  15051. 21Surendra went and sat on the western verandah, his eyes full of tears, and Ram, Manomohan and others with him. Hurt, Surendra is saying: I am angry. W…
  15052. 22As he spoke, the tears streamed down his cheeks and flooded his breast.
  15053. 23Meanwhile, inside the room, Trailokya is singing. Sri Ramakrishna, intoxicated, is dancing. The garland that he had thrown away he picked up and put r…
  15054. 24The philosopher's stone of my heart—
  15055. 25He is adding lines of his own:
  15056. 26(What ornament is still wanting!) (I have put on the world-moon necklace!)
  15057. 27Surendra is lost in joy: the Master is dancing with that garland round his neck! He is saying to himself, God humbles pride. But the treasure of the p…
  15058. 28Those whose eyes weep as they say "Hari", They, they, the two brothers, have come. (Those who take a beating and offer love) (Those who, mad themselve…
  15059. 29Many of the devotees are dancing with the Master.
  15060. 30Everyone sat down, and they are talking of holy things.
  15061. 31Sri Ramakrishna is saying to Surendra, "Aren't you going to give me something to eat?"
  15062. 32With these words he rose and went into the inner apartments. The women came, and all of them bowed to the ground and saluted him with deep devotion.
  15063. 33After his meal he rested a little and set out for Dakshineswar.
  15064. 1(D)
  15065. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Manomohan's Home
  15066. 3With Keshab Sen, Ram, Surendra, Rajendra Mitra, Trailokya and Others
  15067. 4Chapter One
  15068. 5Sri Manomohan's house, 23 Simulia Street, near Surendra's house. Today is Saturday, the third of December, 1881.
  15069. 6Sri Ramakrishna has graciously arrived at about four in the afternoon. The house is small—two storeys—with a small courtyard. The Master is seated in…
  15070. 7Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Ishan Mukherji of Bhowanipur.
  15071. 8Ishan: Why have you given up the world? The scriptures have called the householder's ashrama the best.
  15072. 9Sri Ramakrishna: Which is good, which is bad—I don't know all that; what He makes me do, I do; what He makes me say, I say.
  15073. 10Ishan: If everyone gives up the world, then that is working against God.
  15074. 11Sri Ramakrishna: Why should every single one give it up? And is it His will that all should keep their mouths buried in woman and gold, like jackals a…
  15075. 12"You say it is His will that one should live in the world. When wife and son die, why can't you see God's will then? When you can't get enough to eat—…
  15076. 13"Maya keeps one from knowing what His will is. Through His maya the transient seems eternal, and again the eternal seems transient. The world is trans…
  15077. 14"In maya there are both, vidya and avidya. The world of avidya beguiles one, and vidya-maya—knowledge, bhakti, the company of holy men—leads one towar…
  15078. 15"He who by His grace is beyond maya, to him all is the same—vidya and avidya, all the same.
  15079. 16"The householder's ashrama is the ashrama of enjoyment. And woman and gold—what more enjoyment of them will one have? Once a sandesh has gone down the…
  15080. 17"Then why should everyone renounce? Can there be renunciation before the time has come? When enjoyment has run its course, then comes the time for ren…
  15081. 18"There is one kind of vairagya; it is called markata vairagya, monkey renunciation; men of mean understanding have that kind. A ranriputi (a widow's s…
  15082. 19Chapter Two
  15083. 20Keshab has come with Brahmo devotees. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in the courtyard. Keshab comes and bows down with deep devotion. Keshab sits on the M…
  15084. 21For some time a reading from the Bhagavata went on.
  15085. 22The reading over, the Master is talking. All round the courtyard the householder devotees are sitting.
  15086. 23Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: The work of the world is very hard; it is as when one whirls round and round, the head spins and one falls senseless…
  15087. 24"If you say, since it is so hard? What is the way?
  15088. 25"The way is the yoga of practice. In those parts I have seen the women of the carpenters' families; on one side they are pounding flattened rice, with…
  15089. 26"A fallen woman does all the work of the household, but her mind always dwells on her lover.
  15090. 27"But for this much to come about, a little sadhana is needed. From time to time one must go into solitude and call on Him. Having gained bhakti, one c…
  15091. 28Now there is singing in the courtyard. In time Sri Trailokya too is singing:
  15092. 29Victory, victory to Her who is all bliss, whose form is Brahman.
  15093. 30The Master is dancing in joy. Keshab and the other devotees are dancing with him. It is winter; sweat is breaking out on the Master's body.
  15094. 31When all sat down after the joy of the kirtan, Sri Ramakrishna asked for something to eat. A plate of sweets and other things came from inside. Keshab…
  15095. 32Now Sri Ramakrishna is speaking again on that same matter, whether religion can be lived in the world.
  15096. 33Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab and the others: Those who can call on Him in the world are heroic devotees. A load of twenty maunds on the head, and still…
  15097. 34"If you say this is very hard: hard though it is, by the grace of God what does not come to pass. The impossible too becomes possible. If light enters…
  15098. 35Hearing all these words of hope, Keshab and the other householder devotees are rejoicing.
  15099. 36Keshab, smiling, to Rajendra Mitra: It would be fine if something like this happened one day at your house.
  15100. 37Rajendra: Very well, that would be fine indeed! Ram, the whole charge is on you.
  15101. 38Rajendra is the uncle of Ram and Manomohan.
  15102. 39Now the Master is being taken upstairs to the inner apartments. There he will take his meal. Manomohan's revered mother, Syamasundari, has made all th…
  15103. 40Keshab and the other devotees are sitting in the courtyard, eating. The Master comes down and begins to feed them. For their joy he is singing the son…
  15104. 41Now he is to set out for Dakshineswar. Keshab and the other devotees put him into the carriage and take the dust of his feet.
  15105. 1E
  15106. 2Sri Ramakrishna at Rajendra's House
  15107. 3With Ram, Manomohan, Keshab Sen and Other Devotees; 1881
  15108. 4Chapter One
  15109. 5The late Rajendra Mitra's house is in Bechu Chatterji's Lane at Thanthania. On the day of the festival at Manomohan's house Sri Keshab had said to Raj…
  15110. 6Today is Saturday, 10 December 1881, the twenty-sixth of Agrahayan 1288. It has been settled that the festival is to be held today. Great joy — many d…
  15111. 7At this time Umanath told Rajendra the news of the death of Bhai Aghorenath, the Brahmo devotee. The late Aghorenath had given up his body in the city…
  15112. 8Ram is saying to Rajendra: Why are you worrying? Let Keshab Babu not come, then. The Master is coming — don't you know that he is always in samadhi an…
  15113. 9Ram, Rajendra, Rajmohan and Manomohan met Keshab. Keshab said, 'Why, I never said anything of the kind, that I would not go. The Paramahamsa Mahashay…
  15114. 10Keshab is talking with Rajendra and the other devotees. A picture of Sri Ramakrishna in samadhi is hanging in the room.
  15115. 11Rajendra, to Keshab: Many people say the Paramahamsa Mahashay is an incarnation of Chaitanya.
  15116. 12Keshab, showing the picture of samadhi: Such samadhi is not to be seen. It used to come to Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Chaitanya — to these.
  15117. 13At three in the afternoon Sri Ramakrishna had come to Manomohan's house. There he rested and took some light refreshment. Surendra said: You said you…
  15118. 14The Master's picture was being taken — and at once he went into samadhi.
  15119. 15Now the Master has come to Rajendra Mitra's house. Rajendra is a former Deputy Magistrate.
  15120. 16Sri Mahendra Goswami is reading the Bhagavata in the courtyard of the house. Many devotees are there — Keshab has not yet arrived. Sri Ramakrishna is…
  15121. 17Sri Ramakrishna, to the devotees: Why should it not come about in the world? But it is very hard. Today I came by way of the Baghbazar bridge. It is t…
  15122. 18"Once He is seen there is no more fear; within His maya there are both, vidya and avidya; — after the vision one can be unattached. In the paramahamsa…
  15123. 19A devotee: Then what way is there for the householder?
  15124. 20Sri Ramakrishna: Faith in the guru's word. His word is the support; holding his word as your post, go round, and do the work of the world.
  15125. 21"One must not think of the guru as a man. It is Satchidananda Himself who comes in the form of the guru. By the guru's grace the Ishta is seen, and th…
  15126. 22"What does not come about through simple faith. At the annaprasana of the guru's son the disciples are making ready for the festival, each as he can.…
  15127. 23"You see, having devotion to the guru, she had the vision herself, and the gurudev had it too.
  15128. 24"So I say — Though my guru may go to the tavern, still my guru is Nityananda Rai.
  15129. 25"Everyone wants to be the guru; hardly anyone wants to be the disciple. But look, rainwater does not collect on high ground. It collects on low ground…
  15130. 26"One must have faith in the name the guru gives, and with that name practise spiritual discipline and worship.
  15131. 27"There is the oyster in which the pearl is formed; it waits in readiness for the rain that falls under the star Swati. When that water falls, it sinks…
  15132. 28Chapter Two
  15133. 29Seeing that a good many Brahmo devotees have come, the Master is saying:
  15134. 30"Is it a Brahmo gathering, or a show? In the Brahmo Samaj there is regular worship, and that is very good; but one has to dive deep. Worship alone, le…
  15135. 31"The elephant has outer tusks and has inner teeth as well. The outer tusks are for show, but it eats with the inner teeth. In the same way, if one enj…
  15136. 32"What good is it to give lectures and the like outwardly? The vulture flies high, but its eye is on the ground where the carcasses lie. A rocket shoot…
  15137. 33"If the attachment to enjoyment is given up, at the time the body goes it is God alone who will come to mind. If not, it is the things of this world t…
  15138. 34"So one must practise always. The chanting of His name and glories, meditation on Him, thought of Him, and prayer — that the attachment to enjoyment m…
  15139. 35"A worldly man of this kind lives in the world like a maidservant: he does all his work and duties, but his mind stays in his home country. That is, h…
  15140. 36"Brahman and Sakti are not different. Call on Him as Mother and devotion comes quickly, love comes.
  15141. 37Saying this, Sri Ramakrishna began a song:
  15142. 38The kite of my mind was flying in the sky of Syama's feet; struck by the ill wind of sin, it took a dive and fell.
  15143. 39Yasoda would make You dance, calling You Blue Jewel, O Mother; where have You hidden that guise, O You of the terrible face?
  15144. 40The Master has risen and is dancing and singing. The devotees too have risen.
  15145. 41Sri Ramakrishna is going into samadhi again and again. Everyone is gazing with fixed eyes and standing like figures in a picture.
  15146. 42Dr. Dukari is putting a finger to the eye to test what kind of samadhi it is. Seeing this, the devotees are greatly annoyed.
  15147. 43After this wonderful sankirtan and dancing, all took their seats. Just then Keshab arrived, bringing several more Brahmo devotees with him. He bowed t…
  15148. 44Rajendra, to Keshab: There was wonderful dancing and singing.
  15149. 45Saying this, he asked Sri Trailokya to sing again.
  15150. 46Keshab, to Rajendra: When the Paramahamsa Mashay has sat down, the kirtan will in no way come alive
  15151. 47The singing began. Trailokya and the Brahmo devotees began to sing:
  15152. 48O mind, say Hari once, say Hari, say Hari. Saying Hari, Hari, Hari, cross over the sea of the world. Hari in water, Hari on land, Hari in the moon; Ha…
  15153. 49Upstairs, arrangements are being made for Sri Ramakrishna and the devotees to eat. He is still sitting in the courtyard talking with Keshab. He had be…
  15154. 50Sri Ramakrishna, smiling, to Keshab: Today I have had a good look at pictures being taken by machine. One thing I saw: on bare glass the picture does…
  15155. 51Now the Master has come upstairs. He is seated on a seat of fine carpet.
  15156. 52The late Syamasundari Devi, Manomohan's revered mother, is serving the food. Manomohan has said, "My loving mother prostrated herself full length and…
  15157. 53In the hall in front of the room where the Master is eating, Keshab and the other devotees have sat down to eat.
  15158. 54Present that day was Sri Sailajacharan Chatterji, servant of the image of Syamasundar in Bechu Chatterji Street. He passed away a few months ago.
  15159. 1(F)
  15160. 2Sri Ramakrishna at the Festival of the Simulia Brahmo Samaj
  15161. 3With Ram, Keshab, Narendra and Other Devotees
  15162. 4Chapter One
  15163. 5Today Sri Ramakrishna has come with his devotees to the annual festival of the Simulia Brahmo Samaj. The festival is being held at Jnan Chaudhuri's ho…
  15164. 6Sri Keshab Sen, Ram, Manomohan, Balaram, the Brahmo devotee Rajmohan, Jnan Chaudhuri, Kedar, the Brahmo devotee Kanti Babu, Kalidas Sarkar, Kalidas Mu…
  15165. 7It is only a few days since Narendra went with Ram and the others and saw the Master at Dakshineswar. Today too he has taken part in this festival. He…
  15166. 8The worship is to be held after the manner of the Brahmo Samaj.
  15167. 9First there was some reading. Narendra can sing; he was asked to sing, and he too sang.
  15168. 10Evening came. Gauri Pandit of Indesh has arrived, dressed as a brahmachari in ochre cloth.
  15169. 11Gauri: Where is the Paramahamsa Babu?
  15170. 12A while later Keshab arrived with the Brahmo devotees and, falling prostrate, bowed down to Sri Ramakrishna. Everyone is seated in the hall; they are…
  15171. 13Sri Ramakrishna, smiling: Well, why shouldn't it be possible in the world? But do you know how it is? The mind is not in one's own keeping. Only if th…
  15172. 14"When the mind comes into one's own keeping, then sadhana and worship can be done. The guru's company, service of the guru, the company of holy men ar…
  15173. 15"If you keep a pot of water standing apart, it will slowly dry up! But if you keep that pot sunk in the water of the Ganges, it will not dry up!
  15174. 16"In the smithy the iron grew red hot in the fire. Set it apart again, and it is black iron again, as black as before. So the iron has to be put into t…
  15175. 17"I am the doer, I am the one doing it, only then does the household go on; my home and my family—all this is ignorance! I am His servant, His devotee,…
  15176. 18"The I does not go altogether. You blow it away with this reasoning, and yet, just as a goat whose head has been cut off bleats a little, ba-a, ba-a,…
  15177. 19"After one has seen Him, the I that He keeps is called the ripe I. As, for instance, when a sword has touched the philosophers' stone and become gold.…
  15178. 20Sri Ramakrishna is saying all this as he sits in the shrine hall. Keshab and the other devotees are listening in silence. It is eight o'clock at night…
  15179. 21Sri Ramakrishna, to Keshab and the others: What is this! Your worship isn't being held.
  15180. 22Keshab: What more worship should there be? Why, all of it is happening right here.
  15181. 23Sri Ramakrishna: No, no; let it be done the way your custom has it.
  15182. 24Keshab: Why, this is going very well.
  15183. 25When Sri Ramakrishna had pressed him a great deal, Keshab rose and began the worship.
  15184. 26In the midst of the worship the Master suddenly stands up—he has gone into samadhi.
  15185. 27The Brahmo devotees are singing:
  15186. 28Say Hari once, O mind, say Hari, say Hari, say Hari. Saying Hari, Hari, Hari, go across the ocean of the world. Hari in the water, Hari on the land, H…
  15187. 29Sri Ramakrishna is still standing, absorbed in bhava. Keshab took his hand with the utmost care and came down with him from the hall into the courtyar…
  15188. 30The singing goes on. Now the Master is dancing with the song. All around, the devotees too are dancing.
  15189. 31In Jnan Babu's room upstairs, refreshments are being got ready for Sri Ramakrishna, Keshab and the others.
  15190. 32When they had taken the refreshments, they came down again and sat. In the midst of his talk the Master is singing once more. Keshab too has joined in…
  15191. 33The black bee of my mind is lost in the blue lotus of Syama's feet. Worthless has grown all the honey of the senses, in all the flowers of lust and th…
  15192. 34Song:
  15193. 35In the sky of Syama's feet the kite of my mind was flying. It met the ill wind of sin, took a plunge and fell down.
  15194. 36The Master and Keshab were both carried away. Again all of them together sang and danced, till midnight.
  15195. 37After resting a little, the Master is saying to Keshab: Why had you sent the wedding gift at your son's marriage? Have it taken back—what am I to do w…
  15196. 38Keshab is smiling a little. The Master is saying again: Why do you print my name in the papers? You cannot make anyone great by writing books or writi…
  15197. 39When the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, made his blessed visit to Sri Surendra's house, 'one day in the month of Asharh', 1881, Sri Keshab was to have come…
  15198. 40On the first of Shravan, the fifteenth of July 1881, Keshab, taking many Brahmo devotees with him, had made a pleasure trip from Calcutta as far as So…
  15199. 41Sri Nagendra gave M. this account two or three months later. A few months after he gave it, M. saw the Master for the first time, in February 1882.
  15200. 42On the steamer were Keshab, Trailokya and other Brahmo devotees, Kumar Gajendranarayan, Nagendra and others.
  15201. 43While speaking of the formless Brahman, Sri Ramakrishna went into samadhi. Sri Trailokya Sanyal is singing, and the drum and cymbals are playing. When…
  15202. 44What a machine Mother Syama has made. Within the fourteen-poa machine, what plays She is showing.
  15203. 45As the steamer was coming back, the Master was set down at Dakshineswar. Keshab got off at the Ahiritola ghat—he was to go on foot by way of Masjidbar…