CHAPTER III.
WHICH TO SEEK FIRST?—THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN OR SOCIAL REFORMS?
It is 11 P. M. Narendra and other disciples go to sleep. They lie down on a bed spread on the floor of the Master's chamber.
Sri Râmakrishna chanting his Matins.
It is daybreak. Some of the disciples are already up. They are seated on the bed meditating on the Lord. What is the Master doing all the time? He is repeating the Names of the Lord in a voice sweet as nectar. He goes about the chamber perfectly nude like a five-year old child. He steps to the various pictures hung on the walls and salutes, touching the wall with the forehead. He opens the door and looks on the Holy River with reverential feelings. He chants the Holy Name of the Lord and says, 'O, my Divine Mother, Thou manifesteth Thyself in everything1. Thou art one with Thy Word that hath taken the form of the Sacred Scriptures—the Vedas, the Puranas and the Tantras—the Bhagavat Gita and the Gayatri. And, Mother, Thy devotees are but manifestations of Thyself! Thou art the same as God the Absolute2 beyond time and space; on the other hand, Thou art the Divine Energy manifesting Thyself in this Universe. Thou art the Being Inactive.1 Thou art, again, the Principle of Activity.2 Thou art the Formless Being and Thou art with Form. Thou art the Universe3 before us. Thou art the twenty-four categories of the philosopher!
1 Bhâgavata—Bhakta—Bhagavân.
2 Brahma.
It is daybreak and the priests are waving the lights before the Holy Images. The sweet and holy sounds of the conch-shell, of the bell, and of the cymbals come vibrating from the temples.
The disciples arise and see that the priests and servants are already gathering flowers for the morning offerings. The concert4 plays pieces of music proper for the morning hour.
Narendra and the One Thing Needful.
Narendra and other disciples have washed themselves. They now come smiling before the Master. He stands on the north-eastern verandah close to his own chamber. His face is radiant with smiles.
Narendra: We noticed several Sanyasins—followers of Nanak—seated at the 'Cluster5 of five trees.'
Master: I know; they arrived here only yesterday.
(To Narendra): I should like to see you all seated together.
The disciples seated themselves on a mat. The Master looks on them with delight and converses with them.
Narendra raises the question, 'What are the means of attaining God?'
1 Purusha.
2 Prakriti.
3 Virât.
4 Nahabat.
5 Panchabati.
Master: The One thing needful is Love or Devotion1 to God. As to Renunciation2 and Discrimination3 (between the Real and the unreal), these will come of themselves if one loves the Lord.
Woman as Mother.
Narendra: Sir, is the Sacred Books it is stated that one may practise communion in the company of women. Is that not so?
Master:—To practise in the company of women! Why, that is not good. There is, indeed, such a path spoken of in the Sacred Books,4 but walking along such a path it is exceedingly difficult to reach the Goal. The risk of a fall is almost sure.
As a point of discipline woman may be regarded first, as mistress (the aspirant regarding himself as lover); second, as Lady-mistress (the aspirant regarding himself as her hand-maiden); third, as mother. I, for my part, regard woman as my Mother. The part of a hand-maiden or maid-servant is not open to objection. That of a lover almost invariably brings on a downfall. That of a child is the purest and best of all.
Is anything impossible with God?
The Sanyasins who were the followers of Guru Nanak have now come to pay their respect to the Master. They salute him saying, 'Thou art the Lord5 of the Universe taking a human form! Salutation unto Thee!' The Master returned their greetings and asked them to be seated.
He says to the disciples and the holy men:—Nothing is impossible with God. The nature of the Lord no one can say. Everything can be predicated of Him.
1 Bhakti.
2 Vairâgya.
3 Viveka.
4 The Tantras.
5 Namo Nârâyan.
Once there lived two holy men1; they practised austerities with a view to see God. One day Narada, the holy sage, was going his way by their hermitages. One of them said to Narada, 'Art thou come down from Heaven? If so, tell me what the Lord of Heaven is doing.' Upon this, Narada replied, 'Yes that is so, I am come down from Heaven: I saw the Lord of Heaven causing camels and elephants to enter into the eye of a needle and saw the animals passing in and out.' One of the holy men observed, 'There is nothing here to marvel at. Nothing is impossible with God.' The other man said, 'O! that is impossible! It only shows that you have never been to the Lord's place'.
The first man had the faith of a babe and he was a true believer. For nothing is impossible with God who has created this wonderful Universe!
It is about nine in the morning. The Master is seated in his chamber. Manamohan, a disciple, is come from Konnagar with his family. He salutes the Master saying, 'I am taking my family down to Calcutta.' The Master makes kind enquiries and says, This is the first day of the (Bengali) month—an inauspicious day; and you are taking your family down to Calcutta! I really don't know what to say.' Saying this he smiles and passes on to other matters.
1 Yogis.
Narendra and his Calcutta friends have bathed in the Ganges. They come into the Master's chamber to dress themselves. The Master says to Narendra with great eagerness, 'Go to the foot of the Banyan tree and there meditate on the Lord for some time; shall I give you something to sit on?'
Narendra and his Brahmo friends seated themselves on the terraced seat of brick-work built round the tree for meditating upon the Lord.
It is past ten in the morning. The Master comes up a little while after. M. is also here. The Master talks with Narendra, and his friends.
How to Meditate
Master (to Narendra, &c.): In the course of meditation one must be merged in the Lord. If one floats on the surface one cannot hope to reach the precious stones lying at the bottom.
Saying this, the Master sings.
SONG
1. O, my Mind, take thou the Name of the Mother and dive deep—
Into the depth of the heart—the Ocean which is the repository of all precious gems.
2. Thou mayest not get the treasures after a few immersions, but that proveth not that the sea of thy heart hath no treasures within.
3. In this sea there are the alligators, the six passions (Lust, Anger etc.)
They move about in quest of food. Hence rub thy body with the turmeric of Discrimination1.
1 Viveka.
The scent of the turmeric will keep thee from being touched by the alligators.
4. Many are the precious gems that lie scattered about on the bottom of the sea.
Take a plunge to the bottom, saith Ramprasad, and thou shalt get them.
Seek ye first the Lord.
Narendra and his friends come down from their seats at the foot of the 'Five Trees'1 and stand round the Master.
The Master walks with the disciples to the south in the direction of his chamber. He talks as he walks. He says, Rub your body with turmeric and the alligators will be kept off. Love, Anger, Avarice, etc., are the six alligators.
Discrimination is the termeric. It enables one to understand that God is the only Reality and all else is unreal.
What avails book-learning or the delivery of lectures if there is no Discrimination—the sense that God is the one Reality and all else is transitory?
'Lectures' and Social Reforms afterwards.
First, set Him up in the Temple of the Heart; First realize God. Speeches, lectures and the rest, these may be taken up after you have seen God,—not before. People talk glibly of Brahma—God the Absolute—all the time that they are attached to things of this world. What does all this come to? Mere blowing of the conch-shell without any Gods to worship in the Temple. Let me speak a parable to you.
1 Panchavati.
God in the Temple of the Heart.
There was once a young man named Podo in a certain village. In that village there was an old dilapidated temple. The Holy Image of God once worshipped had disappeared and it was now the home of small bats. One day at night-fall the villagers were surprised to hear the sound of bells, conch-shell and gong issuing from the deserted temple. Men, women and children, all flocked to the place. They thought some devotee must be worshipping an Image of God recently set up within the temple and performing the evening ceremony1 waving the lights and flowers, fruits, holy waters &c., before the Image. With folded hands they all stood before the temple listening to the sacred sounds.
One of them more curious than the rest had the courage to peep in. What was his surprise to see Podo ringing the bell and blowing the conch-shell! The floor was as dirty as before with impurities of all kinds and there was no Image of God to worship! He then called out to him 'O, Podo, thou hast no Image of God2 in thy temple! How is it thou hast raised all this clamour by blowing the conch-shell? And behold thou hast not yet taken the trouble to cleanse the temple, to remove the dirt and impurities of years and to wash the floor with the holy waters of the Ganges! And the building continueth to be soiled as before night and day by the small bats,* eleven in number!
1 Âratrika,
2 Mâdhava or Sri Krishna.
* Eleven sense-organs or Indriyas; five organs of perception, five of Karma or work (hands, feet, &c.) and the head organ or, mind.
First, realize God in the Temple of your Heart. To that end you must cleanse it of all impurities—all sin and iniquity—all attachment to this world caused by the sense-organs. One must free oneself of one's sensuous nature in order to realize God. It is then that the time comes for blowing the shell if need be. Do you talk of social reforms? Well, you may do so after realizing God. Remember, the Rishis of old gave up the world in order to attain God. This is the one thing needful. All other things shall be added unto you if indeed you care to have them.
If you seek the gems lying at the bottom of the sea you must first take a plunge to the bottom, giving up all other works. First set up the Image of God; then talk of blowing the conch-shell. First see God and then talk of lectures and social reforms."
The Divine Teacher.
It is a most difficult task—that of teaching others. He who sees God receives His Commandment. He alone who receives the Lord's commandment is competent to teach others.