CHAPTER II.
THE ABSOLUTE.
In the midst of the songs Sri Râmakrishna hath come to himself again. The music ceased. Then followed more of the conversation, so charming alike to the learned and the illiterate, to the old and the young, to men and to women, to great men and to small men! The whole company sat mute and looked in silence on his divine face.
Is there any trace now of that serious illness from which he is suffering? Joy is there on the face radiant with celestial glory!
Turning to the Doctor, Sri Râmakrishna began the conversation:
Sri Râmakrishna: Do give up shyness, Doctor. One should not be shy in taking before others the Name of the Lord, or in dancing with joy while chanting His sweet Name. Do not care what people say. The following proverb is very edifying—
"Shyness, contempt and fear— These three remaining one cannot be perfect."
The shy man thinks 'I am such a big man!' If this finds its way into big people's ears what would they say! O! what a shame if they say, 'Doctor, the poor fellow, has been dancing. He must have lost his head!"
1 Prema,
2 Prema Yamuna.
Doctor: That is not my line at all. I don't care what people may say.
Sri Râmakrishna (smiling): On the contrary, you do care for it very much. (Laughter.)
The Realization of the Absolute.1
Sri Râmakrishna: Get to the other side of both Knowledge2 and Ignorance.3 Ignorance is the consciousness of many, i.e., the knowledge of diversity without knowing the Unity, without the knowledge of the One God. The egotism due to erudition proceeds from Ignorance. The conviction that God is in all objects—that there is Unity in variety—is called Knowledge of Oneness. Knowing Him intimately is Realization.4
Suppose your foot is pricked with a thorn. Well, you want a second thorn to take it out. When the first thorn is taken out you throw away both. So, in order to get rid of the thorn of Ignorance, you bring in the thorn of Knowledge. Then you throw away both Ignorance and Knowledge with a view to the complete Realization of the Absolute. For the Absolute is beyond Knowledge as well as Ignorance.
Lakshman once said to his Divine Brother, 'O, Râma, is it not strange that a God-knowing man5 like Vasishta Deva1 should have wept for the loss of his sons, and would not be comforted?'
1 Brahman (the Absolute).
2 Jnana (Knowledge of Oneness).
3 Ajnana, ignorance as to God, or Knowledge of many things.
4 Vijnana (realization).
5 Gnâni.
Thereupon Râma replied, 'Good, My Brother! bear in mind that whoever possesses relative knowledge of Unity (God) must at the same time have relative ignorance also.'
He is not in the nature of things free from Ignorance as to God, for Knowledge and Ignorance in this case are as correlatives. For a knowledge of Unity in the universe presupposes a concurrent knowledge of diversity. One who feels the existence of light has also a feeling as to the existence of darkness.
The Absolute is beyond Knowledge and Ignorance, beyond sin and virtue,—good works and bad works,—cleanliness and uncleanliness—as understood by the limited faculties of man.
With this Sri Râmakrishna repeated the following song of Ramaprasad:—
SONG.
The Science of God-vision.
1. Come, Oh my mind! let us go out for a walk; Oh, thou shalt pick up four fruits at the foot of that wish-yielding tree, my Mother,2 the Consort of the eternal.
2. Thou hast two wives, Attachment (which leadeth thee to things of the world) and non-attachment (which leadeth thee Godward, away from the things of the world). Now, when thou dost go out for a walk, take Non-attachment along with thee as thy companion.
1 Rama's Preceptor and a holy sage,
2 Kali
Non-attachment hath a son called Discrimination1 of the Real from the Unreal. Him thou shouldst ask informations about the Real.
3. The offsprings of attachment, thy first wife, thou must try to bring to reason, taking care always to keep at a safe distance from them.
If they refuse to listen to reason, thou shouldst, Oh, my mind, cause them to be drowned in the Sea of Knowledge.
4. When shalt thou sleep in the chamber of Spirit with cleanliness2 and uncleanliness3 both by thy side!
For as soon as these co-wives are made friends, thou wilt see my Mother of the dark-blue colour (the Mother of the Universe)!
5. Keep the two goats of merits4 and demerits5 fastened into the post of inconsequence.
Then sacrifice them with the sword of Knowledge6 thus giving them liberation.
6. Thy father, Oh, my Mind! is Egotism and thy mother is Ignorance; both of whom thou must send away.
If ever thou feelest drawn towards the pit of Infatuation, then hold on to the prop of Patience.
7. Prasad saith, "Oh, my mind! in this way wilt thou be able to face the great Account".
In this way wilt thou be entitled to be called, 'my darling' 'my pet'; 'the god of my father,' and a 'mind after my mind.'
God the Absolute is Above and Beyond Speech and Mind.
Syam Basu: Sir, may I ask what remains after you have thrown away both the thorns as you call them—Knowledge and Ignorance?
Sri Râmakrishna: Well, what remains, as you say, is the eternal absolute pure consciousness, as has been described in the Vedas.8 But how can I make it clear to you? Suppose some one asks you what is the taste of clarified butter.1 Is it possible to make the matter perfectly clear to him? The utmost that one may say in reply to such a question is, the taste of the butter is precisely like the taste of butter! (Laughter.)
I Viveka.
2 Suchi.
3 Asuchi.
4 Dharma.
5 Adharma.
6 Jnana.
7 Moha.
8 Nityasuddha-bodha-rupam.
A girl who was unmarried once asked a friend, 'Thy husband is come, do tell me what sort of joy thou feelest whenever thou meetest him?' Thereupon the married girl said, 'My dear, thou wilt know everything when thou hast got a husband of thy own; how can I make it clear to thee now?'
In the Puranas we are told that the Mother of the Universe incarnated Herself as the daughter of Himalayas. Just after she was born the King of the Mountains was blessed with the vision of the various manifestations of the Omnipotent Mother. Then, said he, 'O, Mother! let me see God the Absolute, about Whom there is so much in the Vedas.' The Child Incarnate thereupon said, 'Father, do you wish to see God, the Absolute? Well, in that case you must live in the company of holy men—men who have given up the world. Then only can I fulfil the desire of your heart. What It is, cannot be told in words.'
Some one has well said, 'All things, with the sole exception of God the Absolute, have become defiled like leavings2 of food.' The idea is, that the Sacred Scriptures of the world, having been read and recited with the aid of the tongue, have become defiled like the food thrown out of the mouth. But there has been as yet in this world no created being who has been able to express by word of mouth the nature of the Absolute. Thus the Absolute is not defiled by the mouth, so to speak.
1 Ghee.
2 Ucchistha.
There is joy unspeakable in the company of the Lord. Words of the mouth cannot describe it. He alone knows, who has felt it.