BOOK II THE ASCENT OF MAN Chapter 8. Varieties of Aspirants &Their
Ideals Chapter 9. Some Aids to Spiritual Life Chapter 10. Ways of Spiritual Life Chapter 11. Spiritual Aspirants and
Religious Differences Chapter 12. Essentials of Spiritual
life Chapter 13. yearning for God Presented by Veeraswamy Krishnaraj BOOK II THE ASCENTOF MAN Sayings 227- 638 He who has not given up sinful ways, whose senses have not been restrained, who is unmeditative, and whose mind
is devoid of peace, cannot attain Him even by a highly cultivated intelligence. O good-looking youth, taking hold of that bow, the mighty weapon
of scriptural wisdom (embodied in Om, the sound symbol of the Most High) and fixing
the arrow (of the self) rendered sharp by devoted worship, draw it with the mind
absorbed in His thought, and hit the mark―even that Imperishable Being. He in whom are woven the heaven, the earth, the sky,
and the mind together with the vital energies, know Him, that Atman alone, and
give up all other vain talk. This is the path to Immortality.― The Upaniṣads CHAPTER VIII VARIETIES OF ASPIRANTS AND THEIR IDEALS Some types of aspirants―Characteristics
of true aspirants-Kinship of the spiritually-inclined―Ideals of the aspirant
entangled in the world―Ideals of the Sannyasin SOME TYPES OF ASPIRANTS 227. Out of the myriads of paper kites that are seen flying in the air, only one or two gets free
by the snapping of the string. So out of hundreds of aspirants practicing spiritual
disciplines only one or two gets free from worldly bondage. 228. There is a fabled species of birds called
' Homa'. They live so high up in the heavens
and love those high regions so dearly that they never come down to the earth.
And it is said that they even lay their eggs in the sky,
and that their young ones are hatched in mid-air as the eggs fall, pulled down
by gravity. No sooner do these fledglings find out that they are falling downwards,
than they immediately change their course and instinctively fly up towards their
home. Men like Sukadeva,
Narada, Jesus and Sankaracharya are like these birds. Even in their boyhood
they become free from all attachment to the things of the world and betake themselves
to the highest regions of true Knowledge and Divine light. 229. There are two classes of Yogis, hidden and open. The
former go through religious practices in secret and keep themselves hidden from
public gaze. The latter carry about them the external symbols of the Yogi, such
as a staff, and converse freely on spiritual subjects. 230. Though it is the general rule that flowers appear first and then fruits, there
are some plants
and creepers which bear fruits first and then flowers. Similarly,
ordinary persons have to go
through Sadhanas before they realize God but there is a class
of aspirants who realize God first. and then perform
the Sadhanas. 231. Of the grains of paddy fried in a frying
pan, the few that leap out of the pan and burst outside are
the best fried, for they are without
any mark of charring. On the other hand, everyone of the properly fried grains in the pan is sure to have
some charred mark on it, however small. So of all good devotees, those few who
give up the world altogether and go out of it are perfect without any spot, while
even the best of those who are in the world must have at least some small spot
of imperfection in their character. 232. Butter churned early in the morning is
the best; that churned after sunrise is not so good. Addressing his young disciples
who became Saṁnyāsins later on, the Master used to say, ''You are like butter churned
early in the morning, while my householder disciples
are like butter churned
late in the day." 233. The
young bamboo can be easily bent, but the full grown bamboo
breaks when it
is bent with force. It is easy to bend the young heart towards God, but the untrained heart of the old escapes the hold whenever it is so drawn. 234. The
parrot cannot be taught to
sing
when the vibrating membrane in its throat has hardened too much due to age. It must be taught to sing while young, before the collar line appears on its neck. So in old age it is difficult to learn
how to fix the
mind on God, but it can be easily learnt
in youth. 235. A ripe
mango may be offered to God or used for some other purpose, but if it is pecked
by a crow even once, it is unfit for any use. It can neither
be offered to the Deity, nor presented to a Brahmin, nor may it be eaten by the pure. So boys and girls should be dedicated to the service of God before the impurities of worldly
desires taint their hearts. Once worldly desires enter their minds, or the demon of sensual pleasures casts his baneful shadow over them, it is very difficult indeed to make them tread the path of virtue. 236. The
love in the heart of a
boy is whole and undivided. When he gets married in time, half of his heart, if not
more, is given away to his wife, and when children are born to him, he loses another quarter
thereof, while the remaining quarter is divided among father, mother, honour. fame. Pride, dress, and the rest; therefore he has love left to offer to
God. Hence if the undivided mind of a boy
is directed early enough to God. he
may gain His love, and realize Him easily. But it is not quite so easy for grown-up
people to do so. 237.
If you ask whether there is any difference
between the Jnanis who live in the world and those who
renounce it. I would say that the two are the same.
Both of them have the same Jnana in common, But if the
Jnani is in the world, he has cause to fear; for life in the midst of sensual attractions is attended with the fear of fall, slight as it is.
If you live in a sooty room, you are sure to get a little tainted
by the soot, however careful you may be. 238.
To some one the. Master said: ''Well, you have now
come to seek God when you have spent the best part of your life in the world. Had you entered the world after realizing God, what peace and joy you would have found." 239. Q. What is the difference between the Sattvic, the
Rajasic and the Tamasic ways of worship? A. The man who worships from the
very depth of his heart without the least ostentation or vanity is a Sattvic worshipper. The man who gives much attention to decorating
his house, makes much fuss about music and dancing, and makes all costly and elaborate
arrangements for a rich feast when celebrating the worship of the Deity is a Rajasic worshipper. The man who immolates hundreds of innocent
goats and sheep on the altar, has dishes of meat and wine for offerings,
and is absorbed only in dancing
and singing while conducting worship, is a Tamasic worshipper. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUE ASPIRANTS 240. The flint may remain for myriads of
years under water and still not lose its inner fire. Strike it with steel whenever
you like, and out flashes the glowing spark. So is the true devotee firm in his
faith. Though he may remain surrounded by all the impurities of the world, he
never loses his faith in and love of, God. He warms up with devout enthusiasm
as soon as he hears the 'name' of the Lord. 241. Just as gold and brass are tested by a touchstone, so are the sincere and the hypocritical
Sadhus distinguished by persecution and calumny. 242. The railway engine easily drags with it a train of heavily loaded carriages. So the loving children
of God, firm in their faith and devotion feel no trouble in passing through life in spite of all troubles
and anxieties, and at the same time they lead many to God along with them. 243. When does the attraction of the pleasures of the sense die away? When one realizes the consummation of all happiness and of all pleasures
in God―the indivisible, eternal ocean
of bliss. Those who enjoy Him can find no attraction in the cheap, worthless
pleasures of the world. 244. He who has once tasted the refined crystal of sugar candy finds
no pleasure in tasting the dirty treacle (molasses). He who ha's slept in a palace
will not find pleasure in lying down in a dirty hovel. The soul that has tasted
the sweetness of Divine bliss finds no happiness in the vulgar pleasures of the
world. 245. The lady,
who has a king for her lover will not accept the addresses of a street beggar.
The soul that has found favour in the eyes of the Lord does not fall in love with
the paltry things of the world. 246. It is the nature of the winnowing
basket to reject whatever is light and useless, and retain whatever is weighty
and good. Such is the nature of all pious souls. 247. Sugar and sand may
be mixed together, but the ant rejects the sand and carries away the grains
of sugar. So the holy Paramahamsas and pious men successfully
sift the good from the bad. 248. The water of a rapid stream moves
round and round in eddies and whirlpools in some places; but
passing these it resumes again a straight and swift course. So the heart of
the devotee is caught
every now and then in the whirlpool of despondency, grief and unbelief; but this
is only a momentary aberration and does not last long. 249. Wherein is the strength of a devotee? He is a child of God, and his devotional tears are his mightiest
weapon. 250. The more you scratch the part affected.by ringworm, the greater grows the itching, and the more
the pleasure you derive from scratching. So the worshippers of God never get tired
of singing His praise. 251. That man whose hair stands on end at the mere mention of the 'name' of God,
and from whose eyes flow tears of love―he has indeed reached his last birth. 252. What happens when an impure woman tempts a pious man and tries to cast her
evil influence upon him. Just as the skin of a ripe mango,
when pressed hard, is left in the hand,
the stone and the kernel having slipped out of it, so does the mind of the pious
man glide away to God, leaving behind its earthly tabernacle to be acted on by
the woman. 253. The truly religious man is he who
does not commit any sin even when he is alone, and when no man observes him., because he feels that God sees him even then. He who
can resist the temptations of a young and seductive woman in a lonely forest, where he is unobserved
by human eye, through the fear that God sees him and who, through such fear, will not even cast an immoral glance at her,― he is truly a religious man. He who finds a bag full of gold in a lonely and uninhabited house, and resists the
temptation of appropriating it, he is a truly religious man. But he who practises religion for the sake of show. through fear of public opinion, cannot be called
truly religious.
The religion of silence and secrecy is the true religion, but it is all sham and mockery
when attended with vaunting and vanity. KINSHIP OF THE SPIRITUALLY-INCLINED 254. The spiritually-minded belong to a caste of their own, beyond all social conventions. 255. A woman naturally feels shy to relate
to all the conversation she daily holds with her husband. She neither communicates
it to anyone nor feels inclined to do so, and if it gets divulged
in any way, she feels annoyed. But she would herself relate it to her intimate
companion without reserve; nay, she would even be impatient to relate her experience
to her and would find pleasure in doing so.
Similarly, a devotee of God does not like to relate to anyone but a true Bhakta
the ecstatic joy that he experiences in Divine communion; nay, sometimes he is
impatient to relate his experiences to such a person and feels happy to do so. 256. If a strange animal were to approach a herd of cows. it would soon be driven off by
the combined attack of the whole herd. But let a cow come and all the cows would
make friends with her. With much mutual licking of bodies.
Thus, when one devotee meets another devotee, both experience much delight and
are loth to part from each other. But when a scoffer
enters their circle, they sedulously avoid him. Sedulous = assiduous 257. Why is it that one who loves the Lord does not like to live in solitude? The hemp smoker finds no pleasure in smoking without company. The pious man, like the hemp smoker finds no pleasure in chanting
the sacred
name of God away from the company of other devotees. IDEALS OF THE ASPIRANT ENTANGLED IN THE WORLD 258. It is said that,
when a Tantrika tries to invoke the Deity through the
medium of the spirit of the dead, he sits on a fresh human corpse and keeps near
him food and wine. In the course of the invocation, if at any time the corps is,
as they say, vivified temporarily and opens its mouth,
the intrepid invoker must pour the wine and thrust the food into its gaping mouth
to appease the elemental that has for the time being taken possession of it. If
he does not do so, the invocation is interrupted
by the elemental. and the higher spirit does not appear.
So, remaining on the carcass of the world,
if you desire to attain beatitude, first provide yourself with all the things
necessary to pacify the clamour of worldly demands on
you; otherwise your devotions will be broken and interrupted by the cares and
anxieties of life. 259. There is necessity of money, no doubt, in worldly life; but do not ponder
much over it and other material gains. Contentment with what comes of its own accord
is the best attitude. Do not be anxious to hoard. Those who dedicate their very
life and soul to Him, those who are His devotees and have taken refuge in Him,
can never think of such worldly matters. With them, expenditure is commensurate with income. As money comes into their hands in one way, it is spent in another. 260. A householder disciple: 'Sir, may I try to earn a larger income? The Master: 'Yes, if you mean to
devote it to the life in the family based on discrimination. But take care
that you earn money by honest means. For it is not earning money but the service
of the Lord that is your
aim; and wealth devoted to God is beyond cavil. Disciple: How long, Sir, have I obligations
to the family? The
Master: So long as the family is not provided with enough
to maintain itself. But if your children can support themselves, you have no more
duty to them. 261.
To some householder devotees the Master said: ''You will look up money only as
a means of getting food, clothes and shelter of worshipping
the 'Deity and serving Sadhus and devotees. But it is
wrong to hoard it. Bees labour hard to build their hives,
but man comes and robs them. You need not renounce 'woman' completely. But after
a few children are born, you and your wife should live like brother and sister." 262. Q. How can I go through my devotional practices,
when I have always to think of my daily bread? A. He for whom you work will supply you with your necessaries, God made provision
for your support
before He sent you into this world. 263. We possess home, family and children
for a short time, but these are all ephemeral. The palm tree itself is real, but when one or two of its fruits
fall to the ground, why should we regret it? 264. Renunciation of ‘woman and gold' has been laid down only for those that lead a monastic life. Monks must not even look at the
pictures of women. Even the thought of spiced pickles causes the mouth to water―not to speak of
the sight or the touch of those dainties. But, this hard rule is not meant for
men of the world like you (addressing the householder devotees present); it is
intended purely for monks. As for you, you may go amongst women with
a mind unattached and fixed upon God. That your mind may be thus unattached and
fixed upon God, it is good that you should often retire into solitude―a place away from
either men or women; a place where you may be left absolutely to yourself, praying
to the Lord with a yearning heart for true knowledge; a place where you may stay for three days, if not more, or for at least one day, if
not three. Your path, again, as married men, is to
live with your wife just as brother and sister, after one or two children are
born to you, and to pray to the Lord constantly that hoth
of you may have strength to live a perfect life of spirituality and self-control. 265. Live in the world, but be not worldly. As the saying
goes, make the frog dance before the snake, but let not the snake swallow the
frog. 266. A boat may stay in water, but water should not stay in
the boat. An aspirant may live in the world. But the world should not live within
him. 267. It matters not if you live the life of a householder, only you must fix your mind on God. Do your work with
one hand, and hold the feet of the Lord with the other. When you have no work in the world
to do, hold His feet fast to your heart
with both your hands. 268. What is the state of a man who is in
the world but is free from its attachments? He is like a lotus-leaf in water or like
a mud-fish
in the marsh. Neither of these is polluted by the element
in which it lives. The water wets not the leaf, nor does the mud stain the glossy
coat of the fish. 269. It does not matter much whether you are
a family man or not. Always perform your duties unattached with your mind
fixed on God. As for instance, the man who has got a carbuncle
on his back talks with his friends and others and even carries out undertakings,
but his mind is all the while on his pain. 270.
Living in the world one is safe, if one has Viveka
(discrimination of the Real from the unreal), and Vairagya (dispassion for worldly things), and along with these intense devotion to
God. 271. What are you to do when you are placed in this world? Give up everything to Him, resign
yourself to Him, and there will be no more trouble for you. Then you will come
to know that everything is done by His will. 272. It may be given
even to the householder to see God. It was the case with Raja Janaka, the great royal
sage. But one cannot rise to the height of Raja Janaka all of a sudden. Janaka
spent many long years in solitude, away from the din and bustle of the world, practicing devotional
exercises. Thus
it would do infinite good to
men of the world, if they will retire now and then into solitude, even for three days
at a time, so that
God might be realized. 273. Some Brahmo
boys once told me that they followed Janaka's example―they lived in the
world but quite unattached to it. I said to them that it was easy to say one was
Janaka but quite a different matter to be actually one. It is so hard to move
among worldly objects without being contaminated. What terrible austerities did
not Jnaka practise at the
outset! But I do not advise you to go through similar hardships. What I want you
to do is to practice devotion, and to live alone for
some time in some quiet place. Enter the world after gaining Jnana and Bhakti. The best curd is formed
when the milk is left quite still; shaking, or even changing the pot, spoils it.
Janaka was
unattached; hence one of the epithets applied to him is Videha―literally
'bodiless'. He led the life of a Jivan-mukta. The annihilation
of the idea of the body is exceedingly difficult
to accomplish. Truly Janaka was a great hero. He handled with ease the two swords
―one of Knowledge (Jnana) and the other of work (Karma). 274. Men always quote the example of king
Janaka as a man who lived in the world and yet attained spiritual illumination.
But throughout the whole history of mankind he is the
solitary example of this type. He was not the rule but the exception. The general
rule is that no one can attain spiritual perfection without renouncing 'woman
and gold'. Do
not think yourself to be a Janani. Many centuries have
rolled away, and the world has not yet produced a second Janaka. 275. If you desire to live in the world unattached,
you should first practice devotion in solitude for some time ―a year, six
months, a month, or at least twelve days. During this period of retirement, you
should constantly meditate upon God and pray to Him for Divine love. You should think that there
is nothing in the world which you may call your own, that those whom
you consider as your own are sure to pass away some day or other. God alone is
really your own. He is your all-in-all. How to obtain Him? ―this
should be your only concern. 276. When you are engaged in devotional practices,
keep aloof from those who scoff at them, and also from
those who ridicule piety and the pious. 277. If you first smear your palms with oil
and then cut open the jack, the milky exudation of the fruit will not stick to
your hands and inconvenience you. If you first fortify yourself with the 'true knowledge of
the Universal Self, and then live in the midst
of wealth and worldliness, surely they will in no way affect you. 278. The magnetic needle always points to the North, and hence it is that the sailing
vessel does not lose her direction. So long as the heart of man is directed towards God, he cannot be lost in the ocean of
worldliness. 279. In the game of hide-and-seek, if the player succeeds in touching the 'Grand-dame'
(Boori), he is no longer liable to be made a thief by the seeker. Similarly by once seeing God,
we are no longer bound by the fetters of the world. Just
as the person touching the Boori is free to go about,
wherever he chooses. 'Without being pursued and made a 'thief' so also in the
world's playground there is no fear for him who has once touched the feet of God.
He attains freedom from all worldly cares and anxieties. and
nothing can ever bind him again. 280. Alligators love to float on water but as soon as one rises
up, it is made a mark by the hunters. Necessarily it
is obliged to remain under water and cannot rise to the surface. Yet, whenever
it finds a safe opportunity, it rises with a deep whizzing noise, and swims happily
on the expanse of water. O man, entangled in the meshes of the
world. you too are anxious to swim on the surface
of the ocean of bliss but are prevented by the importunate demands of your family.
Yet be of good cheer. Whenever you find leisure, call upon God eagerly, pray to
Him earnestly and tell Him all your sorrows. In due time,
He will surely emancipate you and enable you to swim
merrily on the ocean of bliss. 281. When you are forced
by circumstances to go to a place of temptations, always remember the
Divine Mother.
She will protect you from the many evils that may be lurking even in your heart, The presence of the Mother will shame you
away from evil deeds and evil thoughts. 282. The world and God―how is it possible to harmonize these two? Look at
the carpenter's wife. how diversely busy she is! With
one hand she stirs the flattened rice in the mortar of a Dhenki, with the other hand
she is nursing her child, and at the very same time she bargains with the customer about the flattened rice. Thus, though her
occupations are many her mind is fixed on the one idea that the pestle of the Dhenki does not fall on her hand and bruise it. So be in the
world, but always remember Him. and never go astray from
His path. 283. As a boy holding to a post or pillar
whirls about
it with headlong speed without any fear of falling, so perform your worldly
duties, fixing
your hold firmly upon God, and you will be free from danger. 284. As the village maidens in India carry
four or five pots
of water placed one over the other upon their head talking all the way with one
another about their joys and sorrows, and yet do not allow a single drop of water
to spill, so must the traveler in the path of virtue walk along his route. In whatever
circumstances he may be placed, let him always
take heed that his heart
does not swerve from the true path. 285. As an unchaste woman, busily engaged
in household affair, will all the while be thinking of her secret lover, so do you O man of the world perform your round of worldly
duties, but let your heart be fixed always on God. 286. As a wet-nurse
in a wealthy family brings up her master's child, loving it as if it were her
own. yet knowing well that she has no claim upon it.
so you also think that you are but trustees and guardians
of your children whose real father is the Lord Himself. 287. As the street minstrel plays the guitar
with one hand and with the other strikes a drum, while at the same time he sings a song,
so do you, O man of the world, perform all your worldly duties with your hands,
never forgetting to repeat and glorify the 'name' of the Lord with
all your heart. 288. The maidservant says with reference to her master's house, ''This is our house."
All the while she knows that the house is not her own, and that her own house
is far away in a distant village of Burdwan or Naddia. Her thoughts are all really directed
to her village home. Again, referring to her master's child in her arms, she says,
''My Hari has grown very naughty."
or... ''My Hari likes to eat this or that''
and so on. But all the while she knows for certain that
Hari is not her own. I tell those who come to me, to lead a life unattached like
the maid-servant. I tell them to live unattached to this world ―to be in
the world, but not of the world―and at the same time to have their mind
directed to God. The heavenly home whence all come. I tell them to pray for Bhakti
and base their lives on it. 289. Always consider that your family concerns
are not yours; they are God's and you are his servant come here to obey his commands. When this idea becomes
firm, there remains nothing indeed that a man may call his own. 290. He is a true hero who performs all the
duties of the world 'with his mind fixed' on God. None but a strong man can, while
carrying a load of two maunds (more than a hundredweight)
on his head,
stop to admire a bridal procession passing his way. 291. Those who live in the world and still try to gain salvation are like the soldiers that fight from behind the ramparts of a fort, while the ascetics who renounce the
world in search
of God are like the soldiers fighting in the open field. To fight the enemy
from within the fort is more convenient and far safer than to fight in the open
field. 292. Before soldiers go out to meet the enemy,
they learn the art of fighting in their barracks, where they do not have to put up with the
hardships incidental to action in the open field. So avail yourselves of the conveniences of your Horne life to raise your spiritual condition before you take to the austerities of an ascetic life. 293. He indeed is blessed, in whom all
the qualities of head and heart are fully developed and evenly balanced. He acquits
himself admirably well in whatever position he may be placed.
He is full of guileless faith and love for God, and yet his dealings with others leave nothing
to be desired. When he is engaged in world affairs, he
is a thorough man of business. In the assembly of the learned he establishes his
claims as a man
of superior learning, and in debates he shows wonderful powers of reasoning. To
his parents he is obedient and affectionate;
to his relations and friends he is loving and sweet; to his neighbors he is kind
and sympathetic and always ready to do good; to his wife
he is the god of love. Such a man is indeed perfect. IDEALS OF THE SANNYASIN 294. The first birth of a man is from his
father; Upanayana marks his second birth, and Sannyasa the third. 295. The mind is much
wasted while one is engaged in worldly pursuits. And that loss can be made good, only if one takes to the life of renunciation (Sannyasa).
296. Who is a fit
candidate
for the holy order of Sannyasins? He who gives up the
world altogether without having any thought of the morrow, as to how he will eat or how he will be clothed, is fit
to be a true Sannyasin. His mentality must be like that of a man who can, if need be, let himself fall fearlessly
from the top of a tall tree, without any thought of saving his own life or limbs. 297. Yogins and Sannyasins are like snakes. The snake
does not dig out a hole for itself, but lives in the hole made by the mouse. When
one hole becomes uninhabitable, it enters into another
hole. Just so Yogins and Sannyasins make no house for
themselves, They pass their days in other men's houses―today
in one house, tomorrow in another. 298. Sadhus never settle down in a place,
where there are no jungles nearby and where food and
drink is hard get. 'Jungles' means solitary spots for answering the calls of nature;
and 'food and drink' means alms. Sadhus live on alms, they select only those places
for their temporary residence where alms can be easily procured. When they get
tired in the course of their journey they may halt at a place for a day or two,
in spite of the difficulty of procuring alms. But they never stay anywhere if
there is scarcity
of water and of solitary spots for answering the calls of nature. Good Sadhus
never attend to these matters of physical cleanliness in places where they may be observed
by others. They finish these things in solitude, far away from the haunts of men. 299. If a white cloth is stained even with
a small spot, the stain appears very ugly indeed. So the smallest fault of a holy man becomes painfully prominent. 300. A Sannyasin may himself be perfectly
unattached and
may have full control over his senses. Yet
to set an example
to mankind he must make a rigorous renunciation of 'woman and gold.' For only when they notice the thoroughness of the Sannyasin's renunciation, will men take courage, only then will they make efforts to renounce
sex and riches. And who indeed will impart this lesson on renunciation, if not
the Sannyasin? 301. What is the sign of a genuine Sannyasin and a Tyagi? Both must
be entirely unconnected with lust and gold. Should they feel an attachment for
gold or be troubled by pollution even in a dream, all
their spiritual exercises could come to naught. 302. When one has taken up the garb of a Sannyasin, one has to conduct oneself precisely like a true
sadhu. Don' t you see in the drama how the person playing
the part of a king always acts like a king
and how he who is in the roll of the minister always plays the minister? Once
a village clown put on the garb of a Sannyasin and appeared
before the Zamindar of the place. The Zamindar wanted to present him with a purse, but he refused
to accept it and went away. After a while he came back, having washed himself
and changed his dress, and asked for the money that the Zamindar
wanted to give. When he dressed like a Sadhu, he could not even touch the money,
but now he was ready to feel gratified even with a four-anna bit. 303. A person went to a holy man to get some
medicine for his sick child. Carrying the little patient in
his arms. The holy man asked him to come next day. Next day, when the
man went, the Sadhu said, ''Give no sweets to the child and the child will soon
be cured." The man replied, ''Sir, you could have told me this yesterday
itself." The Sadhu said.''Yes. I could have, but yesterday
I had a quantity of sugar lying before me and seeing that your child would have
thought that the Sadhu who advised others not to take sugar but ate it himself
was a hypocrite." 304.
The man who becomes an ascetic owing to some misunderstanding with his father,
or mother. or wife may be called
an ascetic-by-disgust. His asceticism is momentarv:
he gives up the ascetic way of life as soon as he gets a good lucrative job in
a wealthy family. 305.
A disciple: How can we recognize a truly pious man (Sadhu)? The Master: He is
truly pious "whose heart and soul are wholly dedicated to God. Truly pious
is he who has renounced 'woman and gold'. The truly
pious man never views women in the ordinary worldly light. He always remains at
a distance from them, and if they happen to come near, he looks on them as his
mother and shows respect to them. He thinks constantly of God, and serves all
creatures, knowing that He resides in all. These are the general traits of the
truly pious. 306. Trust not a Sannyasin,
who practices medicine, uses spells and incantations, receives money and displays
his piety with the sign-boards of elaborate external marks. 307. Forgiveness is the true nature of the ascetic, CHAPTER IX SOME AIDS TO SPIRITUAL LIFE Caste and external observances― Worship
of images― Value of pilgrimages―Pious company―Repetition of
Divine 'names' , CASTE AND EXTERNAL OBSERVANCES 308. Honour both spirit and form, the sentiment
within as well as the symbol without. 309. In a grain of paddy the germ is commonly
considered to be the only thing necessary for germination
and growth, while the husk is regarded as of no importance; but if the husked
grain is sown it will
not sprout and grow up into a plant and yield rice. To get a crop one must needs
sow the grain with its husk intact. If, however, one wants to get the pure grain
itself for eating purposes. One must remove the husk from the seed. So rites and
ceremonies are necessary for the growth and perpetuation of a religion. They are
the receptacles that contain the germinating seeds of truth; and consequently
every man must perform them till he reaches the central truth therein. 310.
The oyster that contains the precious pearl is in itself of very little value,
but it is essential for the growth of the pearl. The shell itself may
prove to be of no use to the man who has secured the pearl. So ceremonies and rites may not be necessary for him who has attained
the highest truth, namely God. 311.
Rituals are to be observed. But when one advances
in spirituality, it is not necessary to observe them for long. Then the mind gets
concentrated on God, resulting in communion with Him. 312. When
a wound is perfectly healed, the scab falls off of itself; but if the scab be taken off earlier, it bleeds. In the same way, with the advent of Divine illumination all distinctions of caste vanish; but it is wrong for the ignorant to override such distinctions, lest they should lead to undesirable consequences. 313. A fruit
that has ripened on the tree and fallen down of itself tastes very sweet, but the one that has been picked and ripened artificially is not so sweet, and soon shrivels up. In like manner, the rules of caste fall away of themselves from him who has attained perfection and has realized the unity of all things; but those who have had no such exalted experience cannot
escape
the consciousness
of superiority and inferiority in others, and have to observe caste distinctions. If in this state
of ignorance a man feigns perfection by overriding all caste distinctions and
by living a free life, he is surely like the green fruit artificially ripened. 314. It it proper for one who has attained Divine wisdom to keep the
Brahminical thread? When the
knowledge of the Self is gained, all fetters drop off
of themselves. Then there is no distinction between Brahmin and Sudra, between high caste and low caste. Thus the sacred
thread, a sign of caste, falls off of itself. But so long as a man is conscious
of any distinction and difference, he should not forcibly throw it away. 315. While a storm is blowing, we cannot distinguish between an Asvattha (fig tree) and a Vata (banyan
tree). So when the storm of supreme Knowledge blows, there can be no distinction
of caste. 316. A true devotee who has drunk deep of Divine love is like a veritable drunkard,
and as such cannot always observe the rules of propriety. 317. Once Krishna Kishore asked me. "Why have you cast1 off the sacred thread." When this change came over me, everything was blown away, as if by the great cyclone
of Ashvin.2 The old landmarks were swept away. There was no outward
consciousness itself. What to speak, then, of taking care of either the holy thread
or even of the piece of cloth I used to wear? Lost in intense God-consciousness,
I could not even know that I was nude for the greater part of the day. Therefore
when Krishna Kishore took me to task for having parted with the sacred thread,
I only observed. "You will see it all clearly if you are once seized with
madness for the Lord." 1Through
God vision and spiritual realization. 2The great cyclone of 1864 in Bengal. 318. Those
who utter the 'name' of God are holy. Krishna Kishore was a holy man of Ariadaha. Qnce he had been to Brindavan on a pilgrimage., There,
one day, in the course of his walk he felt thirsty, and seeing a person
standing near a well, he asked him to draw a little water for him. The man said that he was of a very low caste and so was
not fit to draw water for a Brahmin. Krishna Kishore said, ''Will you pronounce
the name of God and thus make yourself pure?" The man did so and fetched
some water for him; and he an orthodox Brahmin drank the water. How great was
the power of his faith! 319. As a drunkard sometimes puts his coat
on his head and at other times uses it as breeches, so the God-intoxicated man
behaves as if he is not conscious of the external world. 320. People of this age care for the essence of everything. They will accept the essentials of religion and not its non-essentials (that is, the rituals. ceremonials.
dogmas and creeds). 321. Those who take fish do not want the
useless head and tail of the fish, but only the soft middle
portion of it; so the ancient rules and commandments of our scriptures must be
pruned of all their accretions to make them suit modern times. 322. While raising a building, the scaffolding' is indispensable;
but when the work is completed, no one feels the necessity of it. So also image-worship
is necessary in the beginning, but not afterwards. 323. As a man begins
to learn writing by drawing big scrawls before he tries to write a smaller hand.
so a person must acquire through power of concentrating
his thoughts by fixing the mind first upon forms, and then, after succeeding therein,
by fixing it upon the formless. 324. A marksman learns to shoot by first having big objects to shoot
at; and as he acquires more and more facility in shooting, he aims more and more
easily at the smaller marks on the target. So when the mind has been trained to focus on images having form, it is easy
for it to do so on things having no form. 325. As a toy
fruit or a toy elephant reminds one of the real fruit and the living animal, so
do the images that are worshipped remind one of God Who
is formless and eternal. 326. The Master
once said to a disciple of his, ''You were talking of images made of clay. There
arises a necessity for them too. These various forms used for worship have been
provided to suit the needs of different men at different stages of spiritual evolution." 327. The mother so arranges food for her children that each one gets
what agrees with him. If she has five children and she gets a big fish to cook,
she makes different dishes out of it, and gives each one what suits him exactly.
One is given rich Polao with fish; another,
of weak digestion, only a little soup; and so on, according to the digestive power
of each. (The same in the case with the various symbols and disciplines prescribed
for spiritual aspirants.) 328. A disciple:
One may believe that God is 'with form'. But surely He is not the earthen image
that is worshipped. The Master: Why
call it an earthen image? The Divine image is made of the Spirit. 329. The Master once said to Keshab Chandra Sen, who was a great
iconoclast in his days: ''Why do these images rouse the idea of mud and clay, stone and straw, in your mind?
Why can you not realize the presence of the eternal blissful,
all-conscious Mother,
even in these forms?'' 330. If a worshipper
is convinced that the images of the Deity in the shape of various Gods and Goddesses
are verily divine, he reaches God by their worship. But if he holds them to be
nothing better than mud and straw and clay, to him the worship
of such images does no good. 331. If there is
anything wrong in image-worship, does He not know that all worship is meant for Him? He will surely be pleased to accept the worship,
knowing that it is meant for Him alone. Love God; that
is the duty nearest to you. 332.
When one sees God. one realizes that everything, images and all, is a manifestation
of the Spirit. To him the image is not made of clay but
of Spirit. VALUE
OF PILGRIMAGES 333. The Milk of the cow in reality pervades
the whole body of the animal through its blood, but you cannot milk it by squeezing the ears
or the horns; you can get the milk only from the teats. Similarly, God pervades the
universe everywhere, but you cannot see Him everywhere. He manifests Himself more
readily in sacred temples which are full of the spirit of devotion diffused by
the life and spiritual practices of the devotees of former times. 334. Know that there must be manifestation
of God in Places
where countless people have for long practiced austerity. Japa, meditation, prayer and worship with a view to realize Him.
Through their devotion, spiritual ideas are present in these places in a solidified
form, as it were. Hence there man easily feels the awakening of spirituality and
realizes Him. From time immemorial. numberless Sadhus,
devotees and men of realization have come to these holy places to have a vision
of God, and have prayed to Him with an outpouring of their hearts, setting aside all
worldly desires. Therefore, though equally present everywhere,
God manifests Himself
specially in these places. Water can be had anywhere by digging into the earth.
When, however,
there is a well or a tank or a lake, one has not to dig for water. but can get it whenever one likes. 335.
As cows. after eating their fill, lie down quietly at a place and chew the cud, so after visiting
a sacred
spot or a place of pilgrimage. you must take hold of the holy thoughts that rose in the mind
while there, sit down in a solitary corner and think of them till you are immersed
in them. You
must not devote yourself to the pursuit of the senses and drive away such higher
ideas from your mind immediately after you leave those places. 336. Travel in all the four quarters of the
earth, you will find nothing (no true religion) anywhere. Whatever there is, is
only here (i.e. in one's own heart) . 337. When the Master was alive, many of his
disciples used to express to him their desire to visit holy places, and to them
he used to reply: "Well, he who has got it (spirituality) here (i.e. in the
company of the Master or within himself) has got it there (i.e. in holy places) also. Whereas he who has not got it here, has not
got it there either", or ''He who has got the spirit of devotion already
within his heart, will find it more intensified in holy places. But of what profit
will it be to him who has no devotion at all? We often hear that the son of so-and-so
has run away from home and has gone to Benares or some such place. But later on
we hear again that with great effort he has managed to secure a job there, and has sent money and news
about himself to his family. People go to live in some sacred place, but many there are who open shops there and take to business. Going to
the western provinces in the company of Mathuranath, I found the environment there just the same as here. The mango trees, the tamarind trees or the bamboo groves―they were exactly similar to those of these parts. Hence I told Hriday,
''Well what
have we come to see here? Things are just the same here as well as there, with this one point of difference, that
the inhabitants of these places seem to have better digestion.' BENEFITS OF PIOUS COMPANY 338.
Milk and water. when brought into
contact, are sure to get mixed, and the milk can never be separated again. Similarly
if the aspirant thirsting after self-improvement mixes indiscriminately with all
sorts of worldly people, not only does he lose his ideal, but also his former
faith, love and zeal; they die away imperceptibly. 339. The companionship of the holy and the
wise is one of the main elements of spiritual progress. 340. Many warm themselves in the fire kindled by someone else who has taken the
trouble of collecting the firewood and other necessary things: similarly, many
fix their mind on the Lord by associating with, and following the instruction of, holy men
who have come to know the Lord after a good deal of hard penance. ,341. If a man sees a pleader. he naturally
thinks of lawsuits and courts. Similarly, on seeing a pious devotee, one is reminded of God and of the life hereafter. 342. How should one pass one's life? As the
fire in the hearth is stirred from time to time with
a poker to make it burn brightly and prevent it from going out, so the mind should
be occasionally invigorated by the society of the pious. 343. As the blacksmith keeps alive the fire
of his furnace by blowing the bellows, so the mind should
be kept clean and glowing with the help of pious
company. 344. The society of pious men is like the water in which
rice is washed. This rice-water has the potency of dissipating alcoholic
intoxication. So does the society of the pious relieve worldly men, drunk with
the wine of vain desires, from their intoxication. 345. The agent of a rich Zemindar, when he goes into rural localities away from the seat of
his master, tyrannizes over the tenants in various ways. But when he comes back
to the headquarters, and is under the eyes of his master, he changes his ways,
becomes very pious, treats the tenants kindly, investigates into all their grievances
fully, and tries to mete out justice impartially to all. The tyrannical agent
becomes good through the fear of the master and also by reason of his society. Similarly does the society of the pious make even the wicked righteous,
awakening awe and reverence in them. 346. Even moist wood placed upon a fire soon becomes dry and finally begins to
burn. Similarly, the Society of the pious drives away the moisture of greed and
lust from the hearts of worldly persons, and then the fire of Viveka (discrimination) burns steadily in them. 347. In the Puranas we are told that when Uma, the Mother
of the universe, incarnated Herself as the daughter of the Himalayas. She blessed
Her father with the vision of the various manifestations of the omnipotent Mother.
But when Giriraj (the king of mountains)
asked Her to show him the Brahman of the Vedas. Uma said, ''O father, if
you wish to realize Brahman, you must live in the company of holy men―men who have entirely
given up the world! 348. If you wash an elephant well and leave
it at large, it is sure to make itself dirty in no time; but if, after the wash,
you tie it down in its stable, it will remain clean. So, if by the good
influences of holy men you once become pure in spirit, and then allow yourself
to mix freely with worldly men, you are sure to lose that purity soon; but if
you keep your mind fixed on God, you will never more get soiled in spirit. REPETITION OF DIVINE NAMES 349. The best thing for people whose minds
are attracted by sense-objects is to cultivate the dualistic
attitude and chant loudly the 'name' of the Lord as mentioned in Narada-pancharatra (a work of devotion). 350. The Master said to a devotee: ''Through the path of devotion, the subtle senses
come readily and naturally under control. Carnal pleasures become more and more
insipid as Divine love grows in your heart. Can the pleasures of the body attract
a husband and wife on the day their child has died? Devotee: But I have not learnt to love Him. The Master: Take His name constantly, This
will cleanse all sin, lust, anger and all desire for
the pleasures of the body will vanish. Devotee: But I do not find delight in His
'name'. The Master: Then pray with a yearning heart
that He may teach you to relish His 'name'. Undoubtedly He will grant your prayer…
''I find no delight in Thy 'name'!― If a delirious
patient
loses all taste for food, you must despair of his life. But if he
relishes food even slightly, you may hope for his recovery. So I say, ''Find joy
in his 'name.' "Durga, Krishna, Siva―any name will do. And if you daily
feel a greater attraction for taking His 'name' and a greater joy in it, you need fear no
more. The delirium must get cured, and His grace will
surely descend on you. 351.
Why is the 'name' insignificant? He and His 'name' are not different. Satyabhama failed to balance the Lord with gold and jewels.
But Rukmini succeeded when she placed a Tulsi leaf and the 'name' of Krishna in the other pan of the
balance. 352. If you wish to see God, have, firm faith
in the efficacy of repeating the 'name' of Hari and try
to discriminate the real from the unreal. 353. Sri Chaitanya
has said: ''Very powerful indeed is the Lord's 'name.' It may not bring about immediate result, but it must one
day bear fruit, just as we find that a seed left long ago on the cornice of a
building at last reaches the ground, germinates, grows into a tree, and bears
fruit, perhaps when the building cracks and is demolished. 354. Knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously, in whatever state of mind a man utters
God's 'name', he acquires the merit of such utterance. A man who voluntarily goes to a river and bathes
therein gets the benefit
of the bath; so does he also who has been pushed into the water by another,
or who, when sleeping soundly, has water thrown upon him. 355. In whatever way one falls, whether consciously or unconsciously, into the lake of immortality, one becomes immortal by the
mere immersion. Whoever utters the 'name' of God, howsoever pronounced, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, finds immortality in the end. 356. To a religious teacher who said that His 'name' alone is sufficient for Divine realization, the Master said: ''Yes, no doubt
the holy 'name' is very
effective; but is it sufficient
without Love? The soul must hunger for God. What will it avail if I repeat His 'name' while I allow my
mind to be attached to 'woman and gold'? Mere muttering of magic incantations will not heal up
a scorpion sting. You must also apply
the smoke of burning cowdung.1 No doubt, man is purged of his sins by once uttering His 'name'. But the next moment he takes to various
sinful ways of living. He has no strength of mind to take a vow that he will no
more commit any sin. Ablutions in the Ganges take away all sins,
but little do they avail. The story goes that the sins lie in ambush on
the trees on the banks, and when the man returns after his bath, those old sins
jump down on his shoulders. So, you see, before he has proceeded a few steps,
they are on him again, they have possessed him once more. Therefore take the 'name' of the Lord always, but pray to him at the same time that
you may gain love for Him, and that your attachment to money, fame and physical comforts―all transient things―may grow less and less. 1 The reference is to a simple recipe of the village housewife for scorpion sting. 357. Sing with Bhakti the hallowed 'name' of the Lord, and the mountain of your sins will vanish, just as a mountain of cotton will burn to ashes and disappear if but a spark of fire falls on it. 358. The devotional practices of the worldly-minded are only for the time being. They leave no lasting impression behind.
But those who are solely devoted to God chant His 'name' with every breath. Some
chant 'Om Ram Om' constantly
within themselves. The votaries of the path of Knowledge chant ''So'ham''. Of some, again, the tongue moves constantly (i.e.,
utters prayers of some Mantra) . 359.
Japa means repeating the 'name' of the Lord silently,
sitting in a quiet place. If
one continues the repetition with concentration and devotion, one is sure to be blessed to have God-realization with Divine visions ultimately.
Suppose big log of wood is immersed in the Ganges with one end attached to a chain,
which is fixed on the bank. Following the chain, link by link, you can gradually
dive into the water and trace your way to it. In the same manner, if you become
absorbed in the repetition of His holy name, you will eventually realize Him. 360. The Master would often say: "Chant the 'name' of Hari (God) morning and evening,
clapping your hands all the while; all your sins and afflictions will then leave you. If you clap your hands standing under a tree, the birds perching on it will
fly away.
So if you chant the 'name' of Hari clapping your hands at the same time, the birds
of evil thoughts
will fly away from the tree of your body." CHAPTER X WAYS OF SPIRITUAL LIFE Some
obstacles to spiritual life―Influence of past impressions―Pitfalls
of occult powers―Alms and charity―Dress and food―Attitude towards
the body―Attitude towards sufferings―Forbearance―Reticence―Humility
and self-respect―Simplicity―Conquest of desires―Attitude towards
women―Devotee and his family―Prayer and devotion. SOME OBSTACLES TO SPIRITUAL LIFE 361. God comes not where reign timidity, hatred and fear. 362. The heavier scale of a balance goes down
while the lighter rises up. Similarly, he who is weighed down
by the many cares and anxieties of the world sinks down into it, while he who
has fewer rises up towards the feet of the Lord. 363. One who spends his time in discussing
the good and bad qualities of others simply wastes his own time. For it is time spent neither in thinking about
one's own self nor about the Supreme Self, but in fruitless thinking of others'
selves. 364. In what condition of mind is the vision of God obtained?
When the mind is perfectly tranquil. When the sea of one's mind is agitated
by the wind of desires, it cannot reflect God and then God-vision is impossible. 365. Though a person's stomach may be full and
he is suffering from dyspepsia in addition his tongue will water naturally at
the sight of sweet delicacies and savory sauces. Similarly a man may not have
the slightest covetousness in him; yet the sight of wealth and other objects of
temptation will unsettle his mind, howsoever holy he may be. 366. Be not like the frog in the well.
The frog in the well knows nothing bigger and grander than its well. So are all
bigots. They do not see anything better than their own creed. 367. The great Sankaracharya
had a foolish
disciple
who used to
imitate his Master in all matters. Sankara
uttered ''Sivo'ham'' (I am Siva); the disciple also
repeated "Sivo'ham''. To correct his disciple's folly, Sankara
one day, while passing by a smithy, took a potful of molten iron and swallowed
it; and then he asked that disciple also to do the same, Of course, the disciple
could not imitate this act of his Master, and thenceforward he left off saying
''Sivo'ham''. Base imitation is always bad, but an attempt
to correct one's own self by the noble examples of the great ones is always good. INFLUENCE OF PAST IMPRESSIONS 368. How strong is the influence of Samskaras (impressions of the Past) ?
In a certain place there were seated
some Sannyasins, when a young woman chanced to pass by. All of
them continued as before to mediate upon God except person, who stole a glance at her. This man who was attracted
by her beauty had been a householder formerly and was the father of three children
when he became a Sannyasin. 369. Once I saw two castrated bulls at
a certain place, just then a cow passed that way, and I noticed that at the sight
of it one of the bullocks got excited with passion while the other remained quiet.
Seeing the strange behaviour of this bullock, I made
enquiries into its past history, and came to know that
it was castrated after it had grown up and had mated with cows, while the other
was castrated quite young. Such is the effect of the impressions of past habits
on the mind. The Sadhus who renounce the world without enjoying sexual pleasures
never get excited at the sight of women, but those who assume the yellow garb in their advanced age, after having tasted the pleasures of family life are liable
to have the impressions of their past revived, even after years of self-control. 370. When the mind dwells in the midst of evil propensities, it is like a high-caste
Brahmin living in the quarters of the outcastes, or like a gentleman
dwelling in the slums of a big town. 371. A person once said, ''After my boy Harish has grown up. I shall get him married,
and then leaving the family in his charge. I shall renounce the world and take
to the practice of Yoga." At this, the Master remarked, ''You will never
find any opportunity to cultivate devotion to God. You will hereafter say, 'Harish
and Girish are very much attached to me. Oh, they will
miss my company if I retire from the world. Let Harish have a son first, and let me see his son also married.'
Thus there will be no end to your desires." PITFALL OF OCCULT POWERS 372. Visit not miracle-mongers and those
who exhibit occult powers. These men are stragglers from the path of Truth. Their
mind have become entangled in psychic powers, which are
like veritable meshes in the way of the pilgrim to Brahman. Beware of these powers., and desire them not. 373. Those that are of low tendencies
seek for occult powers which help in healing diseases, winning lawsuits,
walking on the surface
of water and such other matters. True devotees seek nothing but the lotus-feet of the
Lord. 374. Krishna once said to Arjuna, ''If you
desire to attain Me, know that it would never be possible so long as you possess
even a single one of the eight psychic powers (Ashta
Siddhis)." For occult powers increase man's egotism and thus make him forgetful
of God. 375. A man, after fourteen years of hard penance
in a solitary forest, obtained at last the power of walking on water. Overjoyed
at this acquisition, he went to his Guru and said, ''Master, I have acquired the
power of walking on water," The Guru rebuked him, saying: ''Fie upon you.
Is this the result of your fourteen years of labour?
What you have attained is only worth a pice. What you
could accomplish only after fourteen years of labour
ordinary men can do by paying a pice to the boatman."
376. Siddhis or psychic powers are to be avoided like filth. These come of themselves by virtue of
Sadhanas or religious practices, and Samyama or control of the senses. But he who sets his mind
on Siddhis remains stuck thereto, and he cannot rise higher. 377. There was a man named Chandra1 who acquired the power called Gutika-siddhi. Keeping an amulet (Gutika) with him.
he could roam anywhere at will or penetrate into any
place without being seen by any person. The man was at first devoted to God and
was austere in his spiritual disciplines, Later on, however,
when he came to possess that power, he began to use it for satisfying the demands
of his lower nature. I warned him against doing so, but he paid no heed. He used
to frequent unseen a gentleman's house and had illicit
amour with a young lady of the family. He lost all his power thereby, and became
a fallen soul. I This Chandra also
was a disciple of the Master's Guru Bhairavi, the Brahmana woman, of whom we have made mention in the
Introduction. Thus the Master had occasion to be acquainted with him. 378. Sometimes it is very dangerous to
have occult powers. Tota Puri
told me that once a great Siddha (a spiritual man possessing psychic powers) was
sitting on the seashore when there came a great storm. The Siddha.
being greatly distressed by it, exclaimed, ''Let the storm cease." and his words were fulfilled. Just then a ship was going at a distance with
all sails set, and as the wind suddenly died away, it capsized. drowning all who were on board the ship. Now the
sin of causing the death of so many persons accrued to the Siddha, and for that
reason he lost all his occult powers and had to suffer in purgatory. 379. At the time of my practising austere Sadhanas under
the Panchavati, a man named Girija1 came there. He was a great Yogi. Once when I wanted to come
to my room in the dark night, he raised his arm and a strong light emanated from
his armpit and lighted the whole path. On my advice he gave up using that power
and turned his mind to the realization of the highest Reality. He lost that power
subsequently, no doubt, but gained in true spirituality. 1 This Girija too was a disciple of the Bhairavi
Brahmani. 380. A beggar would indeed be acting very
foolishly were he to go to the kings palace and beg for
such insignificant things as a gourd or pumpkin. Similarly, a devotee would be acting
foolishly were he to appear
at the threshold of the King of kings and beg for psychic powers, neglecting the priceless gifts of true Knowledge and love of God. 381. A youthful disciple of the Master once acquired facility in thought-reading. Overjoyed at this he spoke to the Master about
his attainment. The Master thereupon rebuked him, saying, ''Shame on you, child;
do not 'waste your energies on these petty things." 382. A disciple once told Sri Ramakrishna
that in the course of his meditation he could see things as they actually happened
at a distance and also what some people were doing at
the time, and that on subsequent enquiry the visions proved to be true. The Master
said to him, ''My boy, for some days don't meditate. These powers are obstacles
to the realization of God." ALMS AND CHARITY 383.
Why is it that people are fed at a religious feast? Do
you not think that it is the same as offering a sacrifice to God, who is the Fire of Life in all creatures? But bad
men, not God-fearing, guilty of adultery and so forth, should on no account be entertained at such feasts. Their sins are so
great that even several cubits of earth under where they sit become polluted. 384. Once a butcher was taking a cow to a distant slaughter-house. Being ill-treated by the butcher,
the cow got unruly on the way, and the man found it very difficult to drive her.
After several hours, he reached a village at noon, and being thoroughly exhausted,
he went to an alms-house near by and partook of the
food freely distributed there. Feeling himself quite refreshed after a full meal,
the butcher was able to lead the cow easily to the destination. Now, a part of
the sin of killing that cow fell to the donor of the food distributed at the alms-house. So even in giving food and alms in
charity, one should discriminate and see that the recipient is not a vicious and
sinning person likely to use the gift for evil purposes. 385. Thus goes the law: Those who made large charities in former life are born
rich in this. But then this world is His Maya, and the process of Maya is beset
with many irregularities―none can comprehend it. DRESS AND FOOD 386. What is the good of wearing the orange
coloured dress of an ascetic? What is there in the dress?
The orange dress brings with it pure associations. The wearing of worn out shoes
and torn clothes brings thoughts of one's low state into the mind; dressing smartly
in trousers and coats with patent leather
shoes on, makes one naturally feel rather elated with pride and vanity; by wearing
the black-bordered Dhoti of fine muslin, one feels impelled to be lively and to
sing love songs perhaps. The wearing of the orange garb of the Sannyasin causes sacred thoughts naturally to rise in the
mind. Every kind of dress has its own associations, although dress in itself has no special
significance. 387. A young plant should always be protected
against goats and cows and the mischief of little urchins
by a fence. But when it becomes a big tree, a flock of goats or a herd of cows
can freely find shelter under its spreading boughs and fill their stomachs with
its leaves. So when your faith is yet in its infancy, you should protect it from
the evil influences of bad company and worldliness. But when you grow strong in
faith, no worldliness or evil inclination will dare approach your holy presence,
and many who are wicked will become godly through your holy contact. 388. Once a student questioned Sri Ramakrishna:
''Sir, as the
same God dwells in every being, what harm is there in accepting food from any
and every man's hands? In reply the Master asked him whether he was a Brahmana. When the student said, ''Yes", the Master remarked,
''That is why you put me the question. Suppose you light a match and heap over
it a lot of dry wood. What would become of the fire?" The student replied,
''The fire will get extinguished, being choked by the pile." Again the Master
said, ''Suppose a wild fire is blazing and you throw into it a lot of green banana
trees, What would' become of these trees. The student replied, ''Surely they will be reduced to
ashes in a moment. ''Similarly,'' said the Master, '' if the spirituality in you
is very weak, there is every danger of its being smothered by eating indiscriminately
from all hands. But if it is strong, no food will affect you." 389. Once I was initiated
by a Mohammedan teacher and was given the 'name' of Allah to repeat. I repeated
the 'name' for several days, strictly observing their ways, and eating their
food. During that period, I could not go to the temple of Mother Kali, or take
the names of Hindu gods and
goddesses. 390. Eat not in the feast given at a funeral ceremony; for such food destroys all devotion and Love. Also do not take
food in the house of a priest who lives by conducting sacrificial rites for others. 391. Q. As regards eating, should not one eat what
one gets? A. That depends upon the spiritual state. In the path of Jnana
it produces no harm. When a Jnani eats, he offers the
food as an oblation in the fire of Kundalini. But for
a Bhakta, it is different. A Bhakta should eat only pure food, such food as he
can freely offer to his beloved Lord. Animal food is not for a Bhakta. At the
same time I must say that if a man loves God, even while living upon pork, he
is blessed; and wretched is he who lives on milk and rice or on Havishyanna (unspiced food) but
whose mind is absorbed in 'woman and gold'. 392. He who eats simple non-stimulating vegetable
food. but does not desire
to attain God, ―for him that simple food is as bad as beef. But he who eats
beef and desires to attain God, ―for him beef
is as good as the food of the gods. 393. Eat to your satisfaction in the day,
but let your meal at night be light and small in quantity. 394. That food alone should be taken by the devotee which does not heat the
system or unsettle the mind. ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE BODY 395. Q. How is one to conquer the love of the body? A.
The human frame is made
up of decaying matter. It is a collection of flesh, bonemarrow, blood and other unclean substances subject to
putrefaction. By such constant analysis of the body one's love of it vanishes. 396. One does not care for the cage when the bird has flown away from it. And when the bird of life flies away, no one cares for the body left behind. 397. If this body is worthless and transitory,
why do pious and devout men take care of it? No one takes care of an empty box,
but all protect with care a
chest full of precious jewels, gold and costly articles. The pious soul cannot
help taking care of the body because God dwells in it. All our bodies form the
treasure-house of the Deity. ATTITUDE TOWARDS SUFFERING 398. Disease is the tax which the soul pays
for the use of the body, as the tenant pays house-rent for the use of the house. 399. Iron must be heated again and again and
hammered a hundred times before it becomes good steel. Then only it becomes fit to be made
into a sharp sword, and can be bent in any way you like. So man must be heated several times in the furnace of tribulations and hammered
with the persecutions of the world before he becomes pure and humble, and fit
to enter the presence of God. 400. The Master once said to Keshab Chandra Sen while the latter
was ill, ''You are suffering; but your illness has a deep meaning. In this body
you have gone through various stages of spiritual development; the body is now
suffering from the reaction. When the spiritual waves arise, the consciousness
of the body vanishes, but it tells upon the body in the end. When a big steamer plies on the Ganges, the waves dash against the shore for sometime
after the steamer has passed. The larger the boat, the bigger the waves, and
sometimes they even break down the banks. If an elephant enters a small hut, the
hut shakes and falls down. So also the experience of spiritual ecstasy shakes and sometimes shatters the body of
the devotee. Do you know the consequence of this? If a house catches fire, many
things are burnt. Similarly, the fire of Divine wisdom
burns all passions, anger and other evils, and in the end destroys the consciousness
of 'I, me and mine'. The body suffers then a severe shock
and is shattered. You may think, that everything is finished,
but as long as there is the least vestige of the ego, He will not make you free.
If you are admitted as a patient in a hospital, you will not be discharged unless
you are perfectly cured." 401. The Master said to Keshab, while the latter was ill: ''The gardener sometimes
exposes the roots of rose bushes, so that the dew may fall upon them. Sometimes
he trims off some of the roots, so that the flowers may become larger. Perhaps, the Lord is preparing you to
do greater works." 402. Expressing his own attitude towards illness,
the Master said:
''Let the disease run its course and let the body suffer, but, O mind, be thou ever in bliss." 403. The power and glory of Knowledge and faith never fail a true devotee, whatever be the joy and suffering his body undergoes. His Knowledge and faith
never get dim. See how severe were the tribulations that visited the Pandavas,
yet not for a moment did the light of Knowledge desert them. FORBEARANCE 404. In the Bengali alphabet no three letters are alike in sound except the three sibilants (Sa, Sha, and Sa); and they all mean for us. • forbear', forbear', . forbear'. (In Bengali Sa means forbear. It is derived from the Sanskrit root Sah.) This shows that even from our childhood we are made to learn forbearance through our very alphabet. The quality of forbearance is of the highest importance to every man. 405. Look at the anvil of a blacksmith―how it is hammered and beaten;
yet it moves not from its place. Let men learn patience and endurance from it. RETICENCE 406. Keep your own sentiments and faith to yourself. Do not talk about them abroad. Otherwise, you will be a great loser. 407. The more a person conceals his devotional practices from others, the better
for him. HUMILITY AND SELF-RESPECT 408. It is a great degradation to be conceited. Look at
the crow―how wise it thinks itself to be! It never
falls into a snare. It flies off at the slightest approach of danger, and steals
food with the greatest dexterity. But the poor creature cannot help eating filth.
This is the result of being over-wise or having the wisdom of a pettifogger. 409. To become great one must be humble. The
nest of the sky-lark
is on the
earth below, but it soars high into the sky. High ground is not fit for cultivation; low ground is necessary, so that water may stand on it. 410. The tree laden with fruits always bends low. If you wish to be great, be lowly and meek. 411. Our duty is to fall down and adore where
others only bow. 412. One should not entertain egotistical
feeling, such as the conceit of the preacher, ''I am lecturing, hear me, all of
you!" Egotism exists in ignorance, not in Knowledge. He attains the Truth
who is devoid of conceit. The rain water stands in low places, but runs off from
high places. 413. In a balance, the scale that is heavy
bends down, but the lighter one rises up. So the man of merit and ability is always
humble and meek, while the fool is puffed up with vain conceit. 414. Be as devoid of vanity as
the cast-away leaf carried by the high wind. 415. If you wish to thread a needle, make
the thread pointed and remove all protruding fibers. Then it will easily pass
through the eye of the needle. So, if thou wish to concentrate your heart and
soul
on God, be meek, humble and poor in spirit and remove
all the spreading filaments of desire. 416. Many a man with a show of humility says, ''I am like an earthworm groveling in the dust."
In this way thinking themselves always to be worms, in time they became
weak in spirit like worms. Let not despondency
ever enter into your heart. Despair is the greatest enemy in the Jfath of progress. As a man thinks, so he becomes." 417. A true man (Manush) is only he who is a Manush―one endowed with a sense of self-respect. Others are men only in name. 418. No pride is pride
that expresses the glory of the soul. No humility is humility that humiliates
the self. SIMPLICITY 419. Till
one becomes simple like a child,
one cannot get divine illumination. Forget all the worldly knowledge that you
have acquired and become as ignorant of it as a child; then you will get the knowledge
of the Truth. 420. Simple-mindedness takes one easily to God. If a person is simple, spiritual
instructions easily fructify in him, as seeds germinate easily and grow to bear fruit soon when sown
in tilled soil free from stones. 421, The Master used to say, ''People become simple-minded
only in consequence of much penance. God
can never be attained except with a simple mind. It is
to the simple-minded
that He reveals His own nature." But to safeguard people from developing
into
simpletons
in the name
of simplicity
and truthfulness, the
Master would also sound
a note of warning: " You are to be a devotee but not a simpleton on that account." or again, ''Always you must
discriminate
in your mind between the true and the false, the eternal and the transient; and then leaving aside all that is transient, you should fix your mind upon
that alone which is eternal." CONQUEST OF DESIRES 422. He is a true man who is dead even in this life ―that is, whose passions and propensities have been curbed to extinction as in a dead body. 423. So long as the heavenly expanse of the heart is troubled and disturbed by the gusts of desire, there is little chance of our beholding therein the brightness of God. The beatific vision dawns
only in the heart that is calm and rapt in Divine communion. 424. God cannot be seen
so long as there is the
slightest taint of desire. Therefore have your minor desires satisfied, and renounce the major ones by right reasoning and discrimination. 425. As one who is standing by the
brink of a deep well is always careful lest he should fall into it, even so should
one living in the world be always on his guard against its temptations. He who
has once fallen into the well of the' world, so full of temptations,
can hardly come out of it uninjured and stainless. 426.
On being asked when the enemies of man,
such as lust. anger. etc.,
will be vanquished, the Master replied: ''So long as
these passions are directed towards the world and its objects, they behave like
enemies. But when they are directed towards God, they
become the best friends of man, for then they lead him unto God. The lust for
the things of the world must be changed into the hankering
for God, the
anger that man feels in relation to his fellow man should be turned toward God
for not revealing Himself to him. One should deal with all the passions in the
same manner. These passions cannot be eradicated but can be educated." 427. Mandodari told
her royal husband Ravana, ''If you are so intent upon
having Sita as your queen, why don't you impose on her by assuming the form of her husband Rama with the help of your magical powers? " ''Fie on
you!" explained Ravana, ''Can I stoop to the pleasures of the senses while I am in the holy form of Rama―a form the very
thought of which fills my heart with such unspeakable joy and blessedness that
even the highest heaven appears to me worthless? 428. When an elephant is
let loose, it goes about uprooting trees and shrubs; but as soon as the
driver applies the hook on its head it becomes quiet. So the mind, when unrestrained,
wantons in the luxuriance of idle thoughts, but becomes at once calm when pulled
up with the goad of discrimination. 429. The more a man's attachment to the world, the less he is likely
to attain Knowledge. The less his attachment to the world, the more is the probability
of his gaining Knowledge. 430. When butter is produced by churning
curds, it should not be kept in the same vessel with the buttermilk, for then
it will lose something of its sweetness and hardness. It should
be kept in pure water and in a different vessel. Similarly after attaining
partial perfection in the world, if one still continues to mix with the worldly
and remains in the midst of the temptations of the world, one is likely to become
tainted, but one can remain pure by living out of the world. 431. Q. How may we conquer the old Adam that is in us? A. When the flower develops into fruit. the petals drop off of themselves. So, when the divinity in you increases,
the weakness of human nature in you will vanish of its own accord. 432. If once through intense Vairagya
(dispassion) one attains God, then the inordinate temptations of lust fall off,
and a man finds himself in no danger from his own wife. If there
are two magnets at an equal distance from a piece of iron. which of them will draw it with a stronger force? Certainly the larger. Verily God is the larger magnet; what
can the smaller magnet (' woman') do against it? 433."
Q. How does the attraction of sensual pleasures
die away? A. In God, who is at once the embodiment of
all happiness and pleasures. They who realize Him can
find no attraction in the mean and worthless pleasures of the world. 434, Taking Helancha (a medicinal herb)
is not the same as taking a pot-herb, and taking a piece of sugar candy is not the same as taking common sweets; for Helancha and sugar candy are not injurious to health and even
a sick man may use them. The mystic Pranava, too, is
no mere word but a phonetic symbol of the Divinity. In the same way the desire
for holiness and devotion cannot be deemed to be equal
to the common polluting desires of the world. ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN 435. All women are parts of' the Divine Mother,
and therefore they should be looked upon as mothers by all. 436. Women, whether naturally good or not, whether chaste or unchaste, should always
be looked upon as images
of the blissful Divine Mother. 437.
Q. How should we look upon the fair sex? A. He who has known the Real, who is blessed with the
vision of God, does not regard them with any fear. He sees them as they really
are―parts of the Divine Mother of the universe. So he not only pays all honour and
respect to women, but actually worships them as a son does his mother. 438.
Q. How can we conquer lust? A. Look upon all women as your own mother. Never look a woman in the face, but
always look at her feet. All evil thoughts will then flyaway. 439. The woman who observes continence even
while living with her husband, is veritably the Divine
Mother Herself. 440. Q. Sir, what do you think of the mode of devotional practices in the company
of women, as enjoined by the Tantras ? A. Those are not safe paths; they are very difficult and are
often attended with slips. There are three ways of practicing devotion
(according to the Tantras)―one
may cultivate the attitude of the 'hero', or the 'hand-maid, or the 'son' towards the Divine
Mother. Mine is the attitude of the son. To think of oneself as the hand-maid of the Divine Mother is also good, but
the path of the 'hero'1 is fraught with danger. Very pure is the path of ''sonship" (i.e. thinking of oneself
as the son of the Divine Mother). I It is called Virachara in the Tantras. In this
path the devotee has to worship the Goddess as his Divine Consort, taking a woman
as the vice deus. 441. Do you aspire after Divine grace? Then propitiate the Mother, the Primal Divine Energy (Sakti). Yes, She is Mahamaya Herself. She it is Who has deluded
the whole world, and is conjuring up the triple device of creation, maintenance
and dissolution. She
has spread a veil of ignorance over all, and unless She unbars the gate, none
can enter the 'Inner Court'. Left outside, we see only the external things, but
the Eternal One, Sachchidananda, remains ever beyond
our ken. The
Divine Sakti has two aspects― Vidya and Avidya. Avidya deludes and is the mother of Kamini
Kanchana, 'woman and gold'; and it binds. But Vidya is the source of devotion, kindness, knowledge and love, and it takes us towards God. This Avidya has
to be propitiated, and hence the institution of Sakti worship. Various are the ways of worship, for gratifying
Her―as Her 'handmaid', or 'hero', or 'child'. Sakti-sadhana is no joke, there are
very strenuous and dangerous practices in it. I passed two years as Mother's 'hand-maid'
and 'friend'. Mine, however, is the mood of the 'child', and to me the breasts
of any women are like unto my mother's. Women are so many images of Sakti. In the western parts of this country the bridegroom
holds a knife in his hand during marriage, and in Bengal, a nut-cracker. The idea
is that he will
cut the bonds of Maya with the help of the bride who is Sakti Herself. This
is Virabhava, 'the way of the hero'. But I never practised
it. Mine is the
attitude of the 'child'. DEVOTEE AND HIS FAMILY 442. Q. Suppose a wife tells her husband who
is given to religious practices. If you do not look after
me properly, I will commit suicide.' What should one do in that case? A. One should give up such a wife―the wife that stands in the way to God-realization.
Let her commit suicide or let her not. The wife who thus puts obstacles in one's
path to God is an embodiment of Avidya (nescience).
But then all become amenable to one who has a sincere devotion to God ―even
the king, wicked persons and the wife. If one has true devotion, then one's wife
also gradually turns Godward. If one is good-natured, it is quite possible that she too becomes good through the
grace of God. 443. Father and mother are of prime importance
to man. Unless they are pleased, no devotional practice will be of any avail.
Look at Sri Chaitanya. Though mad with love of God,
he took much pains to console his mother before he took Sannyasa.
He told her, ''Mother, do not be sorry. I will come now and then to see you."
There are so many debts that one has to repay―the debt to the gods, the
debt to the Rishis, and also the debt to the parents
and the wife. No pious work can succeed unless the debt to the parents is paid off. There is a debt even to the wife. Harish is staying
here, having renounced his wife. If his wife had not been provided
for, I would have called him a wicked fellow. Ramaprasanna
is always wandering about for milk and opium for the Hatha Yogi. He says that
Manu has enjoined service to Sadhus. Meanwhile, his old mother is starving and
has to do her own shopping. I feel so angry at this. 444. But there is one consideration. If a
man becomes mad with love of God, then who is father, who is mother and who is
wife? He loves God so deeply that he becomes mad. He has no duty, he is absolved from all debts. When a man reaches that
state, he forgets the whole world; he becomes unconscious of even the body which
is so dear to everyone. 445. The parents deserve the highest respect
in this world. As long as they live, they should be served
to the best of one's capacity, and after their death, their post-funeral
rites ought to be performed according to one's means. Even if the son be the poorest of the poor, and has no means to perform
the post-funeral rites of his parents, he should resort to the forest and shed
tears there, remembering his inability. Only then can he free himself from his
obligation to them. For the sake of God alone, one may disobey one's parents without
incurring sin. As for instance, Prahlada did not refrain
from taking the name of Lord Krishna, although prohibited by his father to do
so. And Dhruva went to the forest in order to practice austerities, even though
forbidden by his mother. They had not done any wrong in this. Prayer and Devotion 446. Q. Should we pray aloud to God? A.
Pray to Him in
any way you like. He is always sure to hear you. He can hear even the footfall
of an ant. 447. Q. Is there really any
efficacy in prayers? A. Yes. When mind and speech unite in earnestly asking for a thing, that prayer
is answered. Of no avail are the prayers of that man
who says with his mouth, ''These are all Thine, O Lord!
and at the same time thinks in his heart that all of
them are his. 448. Be not a traitor to your thoughts.
Be sincere; act according to your thoughts; and you shall surely succeed. Pray
with a sincere and simple heart, and your prayers will be heard. 449. What you think, that you should speak. Let there be harmony between your thoughts and word. Otherwise,
if you merely say God is your all in all while in your mind you have made the
world your all in all, you cannot derive any benefit thereby. 450. To approach a mighty monarch a man
must ingratiate himself with the officials who keep the gate and guard the throne.
So, to reach the Almighty Lord and obtain His grace, one must practice much devotion,
serve many devotees, and keep for long the company of the wise. 451. Do not let worldly thoughts and anxieties
disturb your mind. Do everything that is necessary in the proper time, and let
your mind be always fixed on God. 452. There is little fear that a ship will
drift or run into danger as long as its compass points due North. So the ship
of life steers clear of every danger, if the mind, its compass needle,
is always turned towards God without oscillation. 453. How to pray is the next question. Let us not pray for things
of the world, but pray like saint Narada. Narada said to Ramachandra, ''O
Rama, grant that I may be favoured with Bhakti (love,
devotion and self-surrender) for Thy lotus-feet." ''Be it so, Narada."
said Rama, ''but will you not ask for anything else? " Narada replied, ''Lord, may it please Thee to grant that I may
not be attracted by Thy Māyā, which fascinates the universe.'' Ramachandra said once more, ''Be it so, Narada, but will you not ask for anything else?" Narada replied, ''No Lord, that is
all I pray for." 454. If you cannot settle whether God has
form or not, then pray in this way: ''O Lord, I cannot understand whether
thou art with form or without. Whatever
mayst Thou be, have mercy on me. Do reveal. Thyself
unto me." 455. One may attribute the various forms
and aspects of God that are current in society to imagination, and may have no
faith in them. Yet God will shower His grace on a person if he believes in a Divine
Power that creates and directs the world, and prays with a distressed heart, ''O
God, I do not know Thy real nature. Deign to reveal Thyself to me as Thou really
art." 456. God is extremely attentive, my boys. He has
heard, every time you have prayed to Him. He will surely reveal Himself to you
some day or other at least at the time of death. CHAPTER XI SPIRITUAL ASPIRANTS AND RELIGIOUS
DIFFERENCES God of all religions the same―Different religions
as paths to God―Cause and cure of
fanaticism―Right attitude towards religious differences―Attitude to
towards secret cults GOD OF ALL RELIGIONS THE SAME 457. As one and the same water is called by
different names by different peoples, some calling it 'water' some 'Vari', some 'Aqua' and some 'Pani',
so the one Sachchidananda―Existence-Intelligence-
Bliss Absolute―is invoked by some as God, by some as Allah, by some as Hari
and by others as Brahman. 458. In a potter's shop there are vessels
of different shapes and forms―pots, jars, dishes, plates, etc,―but all made of the same clay. So God is one, but He
is worshipped in different ages and climes under different
names and aspects. 459. As the same sugar is
made into various figures of birds and beasts, so the one sweet Divine
Mother is worshiped in various climes and ages under various names and forms. 460. Various ornaments are made of gold. Although the substance is the same, they
are called variously and appear different in form. So
one and the same God is worshipped in different countries,
and ages under different names and forms. He may be worshipped in various ways
according to different conceptions―some loving to call Him as father and others as mother,
some as friend and others as beloved, some, again as the innermost treasure of
their heart and others as their sweet little child―but it is always
one and the same God that is worshipped in all these diverse relations. 461. Once a dispute arose among the learned
men at the court of the Maharajah of Burdwan as to who
was the greater of the two Deities. Siva and Vishnu.
Some of the courtiers said that Siva was greater, while the others gave preference to Vishnu. When
the dispute grew hot. a wise Pandit remarked, ''Sir. I have seen neither Siva nor Vishnu.
How can I say who is the greater of the two" Similarly, do not try to compare
one Deity with another. When you will see one of them.
you will come to know that they are all the manifestations
of the same Brahman. DIFFERENT RELIGIONS AS PATHS TO GOD 462. There are several bathing ghats in a large tank. Whoever goes choosing whichever ghat he pleases to take a bath or to fill his vessel reaches
the water, and it is useless to quarrel with one another by calling one's ghat better than
another's Similarly, there are many ghats
that lead to the water of the fountain of Eternal Bliss. Every religion of the world is one such ghat.
Go direct with a sincere and earnest heart through anyone of these ghats, and you shall reach the water of Eternal Bliss. But
say not that your religion is better than that of another. 463. Many are the names of God and infinite the forms through which He may be approached. In whatever name and form you worship Him, through that
you will realize Him. 464. Different
creeds are but different paths to reach the one God. Diverse are the ways that lead to the temple of Mother Kali at Kalighat in Calcutta. Similarly various are the paths that take men to the house of the Lord. Every religion is nothing but one
of these paths. 465. Some
years ago when the Hindus and the Brahmos were preaching
their respective religions
with true earnestness and great zeal, someone asked the Master what his opinion was regarding both the parties. To this the Master said,
''I see that my Divine Mother is getting Her work done through both these parties." 466. Questioned
by a pious Brahmo as
to what constituted the difference between Hinduism and
Brahmoism, the Master said that the difference is the
same as that between a single note and the whole gamut. The Brahmo religion is content with the single note of the Brahman, while the Hindu
religion is made up of several notes, which together
produce a sweet harmony. 467. As one
can ascend to the top
of a house by means of a ladder, a bamboo, a staircase or a rope, so also
diverse are the ways of approaching God, and every religion in the world shows
one of the ways. 468. The light of the gas lamp illuminates various localities with varying intensity,
but the sustenance of light, namely, the gas, comes from one common store. So
the religious teachers of all lands and of all ages are but so many lamps through
which the light of the Spirit streams constantly from the one almighty source. 469. The cries of all jackals are the same. So are the teachings of all the wise ones are the same. The Cause and Cure of Fanaticism 470. Through
ignorance a common
man considers his own religion to be the best and makes much useless
clamour; but when his mind is illumined by true Knowledge
all sectarian quarrel disappears. 471. Two
persons were hotly disputing as to the colour of a chameleon. One said, ''The
chameleon on that palm tree is of a beautiful red colour." The other contradicted him saying, ''You are
mistaken, the chameleon is not red but blue." Being unable to settle the
matter by argument, both went to a man who always lived under that tree and had
watched the chameleon in all its phases. One of the disputants asked. "Sir, is not the
chameleon on that tree of a red colour?" The man
replied, ''Yes,
sir." The other disputant. Said, ''What do you say? How is that possible?
Surely it is not red, but blue!"
The man again humbly replied, ''Yes, sir."
He knew that the chameleon constantly changed its colour.
So he said, 'Yes' to both the conflicting views ―God who is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute has likewise various forms. The devotee, who has seen God only in one aspect
knows that and that aspect alone. None but he who has seen
Him in manifold aspects can say, ''All these forms are of the one God, for God
is multiform." He is formless and with form, and many are His forms which
no one knows. 472. Dal (sedge) does not grow in large
tanks with pure water. It grows only in small, stagnant and miasmatic pools.
Similarly Dal (schism) does not occur in a party whose members are guided by pure,
broad and unselfish motives. It appears only in the party
whose members are selfish, insincere and bigoted. 473. Is it good to create sects (Dal)? Here is a pun on the word 'dal' which means in Bengali both a'"
sect' or 'party' and 'the rank growth on the surface of a stagnant pool '. The
'dal' cannot grow in flowing water; it grows only in stagnant pools. He whose
heart constantly flows towards the Lord has no time for anything else. He who
seeks fame and honour forms sects.' 474. Men may partition their lands by measuring rods and boundary lines, but no
one can so partition the all-embracing sky overhead. The individual sky surrounds
all and includes all. So the unenlightened man in his ignorance says that his
religion is the only true one and that it is the best. But when his heart is illumined by the light of true Knowledge, he comes
to know that above all these wars of sects and creeds is the one Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute (Akhanda Sachchidananda). RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARDS. RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES 475. Whoever performs devotional exercises
with the belief, that there is but one God is bound to attain Him, no matter in what aspect. name or manner He is worshipped. 476. You will advance whatever way you meditate on Him or recite His holy names.
The cake made of sugar candy will taste equally sweet. whether it is held straight or
oblique when you eat it. 477. Q. If the God of every religion is the same, why is it then that God is painted differently by different religionists? A. God is one, but His aspects are many. As the master of a house is father to one, brother to another and husband to a third, and is called by different names by different persons, so the one God is described in various ways according to the particular aspect in which He appears to His particular worshipper. 478. As a
mother in nursing her sick children, gives rice and curry to one, sago and arrowroot to another, and bread and butter to a third. so the Lord has laid out different paths for different men suitable to their natures. 479.
Sankaracharya' s exposition of the Vedanta is indeed true, and true also is what Ramanuja speaks of it― his Visishtadvaita philosophy. 480. Let a man be a Christian in the matter of mercy, a Moslem in the matter of strict observance of external forms, and a Hindu in
the matter of universal charity towards all living creatures. 481. When you go out and mix with people, you should have love for
them all; mix with them freely and
become one
with them. You should not shrug your shoulders and hate them, saying, ''They believe in a Personal
God, and not in the impersonal, or " They
believe
in the
Impersonal, and not in the Personal," or ''He is a Christian, a Hindu, or a Mussalman." Man understands about Him only so much as
He makes him understand. Moreover, knowing that men are of different
tendencies, you should
mix with them as much as you
can. And you should love all. Then returning to your own 'home' (heart) you will
enjoy bliss and peace.
There you will meet your own real self. 482. Every
man should
follow his own
religion. A Christian
should
follow Christianity, and a Mohammedan Mohammedanism. For the Hindu the ancient path, the path
of the Aryan Rishis, is the best. 483. A truly
religious mall should
think that other religions are also so many paths leading to the Truth. We should always maintain an attitude of respect towards other
religions. 484. Dispute
not. As you
rest firmly
on your own faith and opinion,
allow others also equal liberty to stand by their own faith and opinion. By mere disputation you will never succeed in convincing another of his error. When the grace of God descends on him, every man will understand his own mistakes. 485. One day the Master was heard talking
to the Mother of the universe, in a God-intoxicated state: ''Mother, everyone says, 'My watch keeps
correct time.' The
Christians, the Hindus, the Mohammedans, all say, 'My religion is the true religion.
'But
Mother, nobody's watch
is exact. Who can truly know Thee? But again, if one seeks Thee with a yearning
heart. one can
reach Thee by Thy grace through any path, through any religion." 486. Some ardent moralists among the Master's
disciples often found fault with certain people of great spiritual attainments,
because some of the practices they followed, being of the secret rites of the
Saktas and Vaishnavas, seemed
to violate the ordinary rules of morality. To them the Master used to reply: "They
are not to be blamed for that. For they had the thorough conviction that the paths they followed in themselves led to God-realization. Whatever is ardently believed
in and adopted as a means to God-realization should not be found fault with. No aspirant's attitude should be
condemned, since any attitude, if sincerely followed, is sure to lead to God, Who
is the
consummation of them all. Go on calling upon
Him, each in his own way, and don't find fault with another's path or take to it
as your
own." 487. With a view to remove the antagonism of
his disciples
towards these secret
cults, the Master would sometimes speak to them about his views regarding them as follows: "Well,
why should you cherish hatred towards them? Know them also to be paths, though
they may be dirty. There may be diverse entrances to a house―the front gate,
the back-door and the door for the scavenger who comes
to clean the dirty places in the house. Know these cults to be akin
to this last-mentioned door. No matter by which door one enters, when
one is within the house, one reaches the same place as others reach. Are you therefore
to imitate these people or mix with them? Certainly not.
But do not hate them in any way. CHAPTER XII ESSENTIALS OF SPIRITUAL LIFE Some conditions of spiritual enlightenment―Faith―Resignation
to God―Necessity of Ishta or Chosen Deity―Truth―Brahmacharya
or continence― Viveka or discrimination―
Vairagya or aversion for worldly Objects―Perseverance―Spiritual practice―Concentration
and meditation SOMECONDITIONSOF SPIRITUALENLIGHTENMENT 488. If a person possessed by an evil spirit
becomes conscious that he is so possessed, the evil spirit at once leaves him.
Similarly the Jiva which is possessed
by the evil spirit of Māyā, on realizing that he is so possessed, becomes
at once free from it. 489. He alone enters the Kingdom of Heaven
who is not a thief of his own thoughts. In other words.
guilelessness and simple faith are the roads to that
Kingdom. 490. A person once said, ''The innate nature of a substance can
never be changed.'' Another retorted, ''When fire enters charcoal, it destroys
its innate blackness.'' So when the mind is burnt by the fire
of Knowledge, its innate nature, too is destroyed, and it ceases to be
a snare. 491. The mind is everything. If the mind loses its liberty, you
lose yours. If the mind is free, you too are free. The mind may get dyed in any colour, like
a white cloth fresh from the laundry. Study English, and you must mix English
words in your talk in spite of yourself. The Pandit
who studies Sanskrit must quote verses. If the mind is kept
in bad company, the evil influence of it will colour
one's thoughts and conversations. Placed in the midst of devotees, the mind is
sure to meditate on God and God alone. It changes its nature according to the
things amongst which it lives and acts. 492. The mind is everything. The attraction for the wife is of
one kind, and the affection for the child is of quite a different nature. On one
side is one's wife, on another side is the child; one caresses both, but is moved by quite different impulses. 493. Bondage is of the mind; freedom too is
of the mind. If you say, ''I am a free soul. I am a son of God! Who can bind me?" free you shall be.
If one is bitten by a snake and can say with all the
force of will and faith, ''There is no venom, there is no venom," one will
surely get rid of the venom. 494.
Q. When shall I be free ? A. When 'l' shall cease to be. 'I and mine' is Ignorance. 'Thou and Thine' is Knowledge. FAITH 495. To a disciple who criticised some people's faith as 'blind faith,' the Master
remarked, ''Well, can you explain to me what you mean by 'blind faith'? ls not faith wholly 'blind'? What then are its eyes? Say either
'faith' or 'knowledge'. Or else, what is this queer notion that faith in some
instances is 'blind' and in others is with eyes'?'' 496. Man suffers through lack of faith in God. 497. There are physiological signs indicating who will be endowed
with faith and who not. The bony sort of fellows. the hollow-eyed, the squint-eyed―all these types cannot
have faith easily. 498.
To kill another. sword and shield are needed, whilst
to kill oneself even a pin will do. So to teach others one must study many scriptures
and sciences, while to acquire spiritual illumination for oneself, firm faith
in a single motto will suffice. 499. There are various sects and creeds among the Hindus. Which of them should
we adopt? Parvati once asked Mahadeva,
''O Lord, what is the root of the 'eternal, everlasting, all-embracing
Bliss? To her Mahadeva replied, ''The root is faith."
So, the peculiarities of creeds and sects matter little or nothing. Let everyone
take to devotional practices and perform the duties of his own creed with faith. 500. Knowledge relating to God keeps pace with faith. Where there is little faith,
it is idle to look for much Knowledge. The cow which is over-nice in matters of
eating is not liberal in its supply of milk. But the cow which
welcomes all kinds of food―herbs. Leaves, grass, husks, straw and the rest and eats them up with great appetite, gives
an abundant supply. Her milk comes down from the udder into the pail in torrents. 501.
He who has faith has all, and he who lacks
it lacks all. 502. If you are keen on realizing God, repeat His name with firm faith, and try
to discriminate
the Real from the unreal. 503. Unless
one becomes childlike in faith, it is difficult to realize God. If the mother
says to the
child, ''He is your brother," the child fully believes that the person referred to is
really his brother. If the mother says, ''Don't go there, there is a bogy," the child is indeed
convinced that there is a bogy.
God is moved to pity
when He sees
in a man that kind of childlike faith. None can attain God with the calculating nature of the worldly-minded. 504. One day, Sri Krishna, while going in
a chariot along with Arjuna, looked up to the sky and said, ''Behold! What a nice flight of pigeons there.'' Arjuna at once turned his eyes in that direction
and exclaimed, ‘‘Really, friend, very beautiful pigeons indeed!" But the very next moment
Sri Krishna
looked again and
said,
‘‘No, friend, they are not pigeons, it seems,"
Arjuna, too saw again and said, ‘‘True, they are not pigeons." Now try to understand the meaning of this. A great adherent of truth that Arjuna was, he did not possibly assent to whatever Sri Krishna said, simply for flattering
him. Just
he had such an unflinching faith in Sri Krishna that he perceived at once actually whatever
Sri Krishna said. 505. Boil your sugar well over a burning fire.
As long as there is dirt or impurity
in it, the sweet infusion will smoke,
and simmer. But when all the impurity and scum are cast out, there is neither smoke nor sound; only the delicious crystalline syrup heaves
in its unmixed worth. Then whether liquid or solid, it becomes the delight of
men and gods. Such, is the
character of the man of faith. 506. A man
wanted to cross a river. A sage gave him an amulet and said, ''This will carry
you across." The man, taking it in his hand. began
to walk over the water. Before he had gone half the way, he was seized with curiosity, and opened the amulet to see what
was in it. Therein he found written on a piece of paper, the sacred name of Rama,
the Lord. At this the man said depreciatingly, ''Is this the whole secret?" No sooner
did this skepticism enter his mind than he sank down. It is faith in the 'name'
of the Lord that works wonders; for faith is life and want of faith is death. 507.
A disciple who had
firm faith in the infinite power of his Guru walked over a river by simply uttering
his name. Seeing this. the Guru thought, ‘‘Well, is there such a power in my mere
name? Then how much great and powerful must I be." The next day, the Guru
also tried to walk over the river uttering, 'I', 'I', 'I', but no sooner did he
step into the water than he sank down and was soon drowned; for the poor man did
not know how to swim even. Faith can achieve miracles while vanity or egotism
brings about the destruction of man. 508. Sri Ramachandra,
who was God incarnate, had to bridge the ocean before he could cross over to Lanka
(Ceylon). But Hanuman, his faithful monkey devotee and servant crossed the ocean at one leap, because of his firm faith in Rama. Here the servant achieved more than
the master, simply through faith. 509. A king guilty of the heinous sin of
killing a Brahmin went to the hermitage of a Rishi to learn what penance he must
perform in order to be purified. The Rishi was absent, but his son was in the
hermitage. Hearing the case of the king, he said, ‘‘Repeat the 'name' of God (Rama)
three times, and your sin will be expiated." When the Rishi came back and
heard of the penance prescribed by his son, he remarked indignantly. "Sins
committed in myriads of births are purged immediately by uttering the name of
the Almighty but once. How weak must be your faith, ''O fool, since you have ordered
the holy 'name' to be repeated thrice? For this weakness of your faith. You shall become an outcaste." And the son became Guhaka of the Ramayana. 510. The stone may remain in water for numberless
years: yet the water will never penetrate into it. But clay is soon soaked into
mud by the contact of water. So the strong heart of the faithful does not despair
in the midst of trials and persecutions, but the man of weak faith is shaken even by the most trifling cause. 511. One becomes as one thinks. They say that
by constantly thinking of a particular kind of insect (Bhramarakita),
a cockroach is transformed into the insect. Similarly
he who constantly thinks of the Bliss Absolute himself becomes full of bliss.
512. Why talk of sin and hell-fire all the
days of your life? Chant the 'name' of God. Do say, but once, ''I have, O Lord,
done things that 1 ought not to have done and I have left undone things that I ought to have done. O Lord, forgive me!''
Saying this, have faith in Him, and you will be purged
of all sins. 513. The faith-healers of India order their
patients to repeat with full conviction the words, ''There is no illness, at all."
The patients repeat them, and this mental suggestion helps to drive off the disease. So if you think yourself
to be morally weak, you will actually become so in a short time. Know and believe
that you are of immense power, and then power will come to you at last. 514. He who thinks that he is a Jiva, verily
remains as a Jiva; but he who considers himself to be
God, verily becomes a God. As one thinks, so does one become. RESIGNATION TO GOD 515. He who can resign himself to the will of the Almighty with simple faith and guileless love
realizes the Lord very quickly. 516. To live in the world or to leave it depends
upon the will of God. Therefore work, leaving everything to Him. What else can
you do ? 517. A shallow pool of water in an open field
will soon be dried up, though no one may lessen the quantity
of its water by using it. So a sinful man is sometimes purified
by simply resigning himself totally and absolutely to the mercy and grace of God. 518. Q: What are we to do when we are placed in this world? A. Give up everything to Him, resign yourself to Him, and there will be no mere
trouble for you. Then you will come to know His will. 519. There is no path safer and
smoother than that of Ba-kalama (power of attorney).
Here Ba-kalama means
here resigning oneself to the will of the Almighty and having no feeling that
anything is one's own.
520. The young of a monkey clasps and clings
to its mother tightly when she moves about. The kitten on the other hand does
not do so but mews piteously, and the mother grasps it by the neck. If the young of the monkey
lets go its hold of its mother, it falls down and gets hurt. This is because it
relies upon its own strength. But the kitten runs no such risk, as the mother
herself carries it about from place to place. Such is the difference between self-reliance
and entire resignation to the will of God. 521. A father was once passing through a field
with his two little sons. He was carrying one of them in his arms while the other
was walking along with him holding his hand. They saw a kite flying, and the latter boy,
giving up his hold on his father's hand, began to clasp with joy, crying, '' Behold, papa, there is a kite!" But immediately
he stumbled down and got hurt. The boy who was carried
by the father also clapped his hands with joy, but did not fall, as his father
was holding him. The first boy represents self-help in spiritual matters, and
the second self-surrender. 522. Blessed Radha
was once called to prove her chastity. She was subjected to the ordeal of fetching water in a jar with
thousand holes. She succeeded in doing so without even a drop of water leaking
out, and everyone applauded her, declaring that such a chaste
woman never was and never will be. At this Radha exclaimed,
''Why do you heap praise on me? Say rather, 'Glory to Krishna!' Glory to Him alone! I um only a handmaid of His." 523. What is the nature of absolute reliance
on God? It is like that happy state of relaxation felt by a fatigued worker when
reclining on a pillow, he smokes at leisure after a day's hard work. It is the cessation of all anxieties
and worries. 524. Live here like a leaf cast off after
being used for taking food. It is at the mercy of the
winds; it is blown here and there; sometimes indoors
and sometimes abroad in dirty places. Well, now you are placed
here; all right,
remain here. And when He will take you away and put you in a better place, then too, you should say 'Amen' and resign to His will with perfect
unattachment. Let things take care of themselves. NECESSITY OF ISHTA OR CHOSEN DEITY 525. The young wife in a family respects her
father-in-law and mother-in-law, ministers to their wants, and does not despise or disobey them; but at the same time
she loves her husband more than any of them. In the same way be firm in your devotion
to your own Chosen Deity (Ishta), but do not despise
other Deities. Honour them too; for they all represent one Authority and one Love. 526. In the play of dice called Ashta-kashta, the pieces must pass through all the squares
of the chequer before they reach the central square
of rest and non-return. But as long as a pawn does not reach the central
square, it is liable to return again and again to its
starting point and commence its weary journey over and over
again. If, however, two pawns happen to start their journey in unison and
move jointly from square to square, they cannot be forced
back by any winner. Similarly, those who start on their career of devotional practices,
first uniting themselves with a Guru and an lshta, have
no fear of reverses and difficulties on the way.
Their progress will be smooth, unimpeded and without any retrogression. 527. Many roads lead to Calcutta. Dr. Doubtful started from his home in a distant village
to go to the metropolis. He asked a man on the road, ‘‘Which is the shortest route
to Calcutta?"
The man said, ''Follow this road." Proceeding some distance, he met another man and asked him, ''Is this the shortest road to Calcutta? The man replied, ''Oh no! You must retrace your steps and take the road to your left."
The man did so. Going .along that new road for some distance, he
met a third man who pointed out another road to Calcutta. Thus Dr. Doubtful made
no progress, but spent the whole day in changing roads. One who really wishes
to reach Calcutta must stick to a single road pointed out by an honest man; so
also those who want to reach God must follow steadily one particular guide. 528.
A man began to sink a well, but having dug down to a depth of twenty cubits, he
could not find any trace of water there. So he gave up that site and selected
another spot for the purpose. There he dug still deeper, but even then could not
find tiny water. So he selected yet another site and dig deeper than before. But
it was also of no avail. At last in utter disgust he gave up
the task altogether. The total depth of all these three wells was only a little
short of one hundred cubits. Had he the patience to devote even half of the whole
of this labor to his first well, instead of changing the site again and again,
he would surely have succeeded in getting water. The same is the case with men
who continually change their faith. In order to succeed we have to devote ourselves
wholeheartedly to one object of faith without being in the least doubtful as to
its worth. 529. As a chaste woman wholly devoted to her
husband is united with him
forever even after death, so the man who is solely devoted to his own Chosen Deity
certainly obtains union with God. TRUTH 530. Have Bhakti within and give up all cunning and deceit. Those who are engaged
in business, such as work in office or trade. should
also stick
to truth. Truthfulness
is the Tapasya (austerity) of this age of Kali. 531. Unless one always speaks the truth, one
cannot find God Who is the soul of truth. 532. One must be very particular about telling
the truth. Through
truth one can realize God. 533. Everything false is bad. Even false garb
is bad. If your mind is not quite in accord with the garb, then terrible ruin,
shall visit you. In this way. one grows hypocritical. and all fear
of doing wrong or uttering falsehood disappears. 534. A certain person, deeply involved in debt feigned madness
to escape the consequences of his liabilities. Physicians failed to cure his disease; and the more medicines were administered to him the greater became his madness. At
last a wise physician found out the truth, and taking the man feigning madness
aside, rebuked him saying, ''U Sir, what are you doing? Beware that by
feigning madness you do not become actually
mad. Already I see some
genuine signs of insanity in you." This warning roused the man from his folly
and he left off feigning madness. You will actually become what you constantly
pose yourself to be. BRAHMACHARY A OR CONTINENCE 535. As one's face may be
seen reflected in a sheet of glass coated with quick silver, so the glorious
image of the Almighty God can be seen reflected in the heart of a person who has
preserved his power and purity through perfect continence. 536. Unless one practises
absolute continence, one cannot comprehend the subtle truths of spirituality. 537. Sukadeva was
an Urdhvaretas (a man of complete and unbroken continence);
he had never any emission of semen. There was another class called Dhairyaretas, who had discharge of semen at one time but subsequently
practiced absolute continence. If a man remains a Dhairyaretas
continually for twelve years, he acquires a superhuman power. A new nerve is developed in him. It is called
the 'nerve of intelligence' (Medhanadi), and he can
remember everything and know everything. 538. If a man practices absolute continence
for twelve years, the Medhanadi will open (i.e., his
powers and understanding will blossom). His understanding will become capable
of penetrating and comprehending the subtlest of ideas. With such an understanding
man can realize God. God can be attained only through
a purified understanding of this type. 539. Waste of the vital f1uid entails "loss
of energy.'' Involuntary emission, however, is not of much consequence. That is
due to food. But still one (a truly spiritual man) should not know any woman carnally. 540. He who has relinquished sexual enjoyment
had indeed renounced the world! God is indeed very near him! VIVEKA OR DISCRIMINATION 541. Practice discrimination. 'Woman' and 'gold' are both unreal; the one reality is God. Of what
use is money? Why, it gives us food and clothing and
a place to live in. Thus far it is useful, and no further. Surely you cannot see
God with the help of money. Money is certainly not the end of life. This is the
process of discrimination. What is there in money or in the beauty of women? Using
your discrimination you shall find that the body of the most beautiful woman is made up only of flesh and blood, skin and bones, fat and
marrow, nay, as in the case of all animals, of entrails, urine, excreta, and the
rest. The wonder is that man can lose sight of God, and give his mind entirely
to things of such kind! 542. Viveka and
Vairagya― Viveka means
the sifting of the real from the unreal; and Vairagya,
indifference to the objects of the world. They do not come all on a sudden; they have to be practiced daily. 'Woman and gold' have to be renounced, first mentally, and God willing, they should be renounced afterwards both internally and externally. It is said in
the Gita that by Abhyasa Yoga (continuous practice of meditation), dislike for 'woman and gold' is engendered. Continuous practice brings to the mind extraordinary power; then nobody feels difficulty in subjugating the senses, passions, and lust. It is like
a tortoise that never stretches out its limbs, once it has
drawn them in. Even if you cut it to pieces, it would never stretch them out. 543. Q. Is this world unreal? A. It is unreal so long as you do not know God. For you do not see Him in everything, and so fasten yourself to the world
with the tie of 'I and mine'. Being thus deluded by
ignorance, you become attached to sense-objects and sink deeper and deeper into the abyss of Maya. Maya makes men so utterly blind that they cannot get out of its meshes even when the way lies open. You yourself know how unreal this worldly life is.
Think a little of the very house
that you are in. How many
men were born
and how many died in it! Things of the world
appear
before
us for
a moment and vanish in the next. Those whom you know to be your own will cease to exist for you, the moment you close your eyes in death. How strong is the hold of attachment upon a worldly
man! There is nobody in the family who requires his attention,
yet for the sake of grandson he cannot go to Benares to practice devotion. ''What will become of my Hari," is the one thought that keeps him bound to the
world. In a Ghuni (a trap for catching fish) the way
out is always open, yet the fish do not get out of it. The caterpillar shuts itself
up in its own cocoon and perishes. Being of such a nature, is not this mundane
life (Samsara) unreal and evanescent? 544. Do you know how egotism is to be destroyed? When they husk corn, they stop from time
to time to examine the grain, and see if the husking is complete. When they weigh
some fine things in a delicate balance, they often stop and adjust the needle
to test if the point is accurate. So now and then I used to abuse myself with
strong denunciations to see whether my ego still rose within me are not. At times
I used to ponder thus over the nature of the body: ''Look at this body. What is it but a
cage of flesh and bones!
It contains nothing but blood, pus and such other impure matter. It is strange
that so much pride is felt with regard to this! 545. Suppose rice is boiling in the pot. To test whether it is properly boiled. you take one grain
from it and press the same between your fingers. At once you come to know whether
the whole pot of rice is boiled or not. Surely you would
not press each and every grain of rice? Just as you know
the condition of the rice by testing only a few grains, so also you can
know whether the world is real or unreal eternal or ephemeral. existent or non-existent, by examining two or three objects
in it. Man is born, lives for some days, and then dies. So too are animals and trees. Discriminating like this, you come to know that the same
is the fate of all things endowed with name and form, even of the earth, the sun and moon.
Do you not thus come to understand the nature of all things in the universe? When
you thus recognize the world to be unreal and ephemeral, you will no longer have
any love of it. You will renounce it from the mind, and become free from all desires.
When you succeed in this act of renunciation, you come to know God who is the cause of the
universe. One who gains the realization of God in this way― if he is not
all knowing, what else is he ? VAIRAGYA 546. Even when we are blinded to reality by
the fulfilment of every worldly desire, there may arise in us the question, ''Who
am I who enjoy all this?" This may be the moment in which a revelation
of the secret begins. 547. In a forest full of thorns and briars it is impossible
to walk bare-footed. One can do so if the whole forest is covered with leather, or if one's own feet are protected with leather
shoes. It is impossible
to cover the whole forest with leather, so it is wiser to protect one's feet with shoes. Similarly, in this world man is troubled
with innumerable wants and desires, and there are only two possible ways of escape from them.
viz.. either to
have all those wants satisfied, or to give up all of them. But it is impossible
to satisfy all human wants; for with every attempt to satisfy them, new wants arise.
So it is wiser to decrease one's wants by contentment and the knowledge of Truth. 548.
It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ringworm, but the sensation one gets
afterwards is very painful and intolerable. So the pleasures of this world are very attractive
in the beginning, but their consequences are terrible to endure and contemplate. 549.
A kite with a fish in its beak was chased
by a large number of crows and screaming kites, pecking at it and trying to snatch
away the fish. In whichever direction it went the flock
of kites and crows also followed it. Tired of this annoyance,
the kite threw away the fish which was instantly caught
by another
kite. At once the flock of kites and crows
turned to the new possessor of the fish. The first kite was
left unmolested; it calmly perched upon the branch of a tree. Seeing it
in this quiet and tranquil state, the Avadhuta
saluted
it and said, ‘‘You are my Guru, O kite; you have taught me that so long as man does not throw off the burden of worldly desires, he cannot escape from worldly distractions and be at peace with himself." 550. A shy
horse does not move straight
when its eyes are not protected by eyeflaps. Similarly, the mind of a worldly man, restrained
from looking around by the eyeflaps of discrimination
and aversion for worldly objects, will not stumble, or stray into evil paths. 551.
When paper is wetted with oil. it cannot be written upon. So
the soul stained by the oil of vice and luxury is unfit for spiritual devotion.
But when the paper wetted with oil is overlaid with chalk,
it may be written upon; so when such a soul is 'chalked' over with renunciation,
it becomes fit agai for spiritual progress. 552. There is a venomous spider, whose
poison no medicine can counteract till the wound is magnetized
by passes with turmeric roots held in the
hand. After the wound is thus treated, other remedies are seen
to produce their effect. So when the spider of lust and wealth has infected a
man, he must first get thoroughly saturated with the
magnetic remedy of renunciation before he can have any spiritual progress. 553. If you put a purifying agent, say, a piece of
alum, into a vessel of muddy water, the impurities settle down at the bottom and
the water is made clear. Discrimination and dispassion
for worldly objects are the two purifying agents. It is through these that the
worldly man ceases to be worldly and becomes pure. 554. The caterpillar lets itself imprisoned
in its own cocoon. So the worldly soul is caught in the meshes of its own desires. But when the caterpillar
develops into a bright and beautiful butterfly, it bursts the cocoon and flies
out enjoying freely light and air. So the worldly soul can fly out of the meshes
of Maya with the wings of discrimination and dispassion
for worldly things. 555. Reverse turns the key of the room wherein God lives. To reach Him you have
to renounce the world and all. 556. It is useless to pore over the holy scriptures
if one's mind is not endowed with Viveka and Vairagya. No spiritual
progress can be made without these. 557. How may one attain God? One has to sacrifice
body, mind and riches to find Him. 558. What must be the condition of the mind
of a bound soul before he can hope to be liberated. If by the grace of Go,
he can acquire intense dispassion for worldly things, then only can he be released from
the attachment to 'woman and gold'. 'And what is this intense dispassion, this vehement desirelessness? ''By and by I shall realize God''―this is the attitude
of feeble Vairagya. But he whose Vairagya is acute and strong his heart longs and pants for
God, even as the
mother's heart pants for her child. He never seeks anything but God, and to him the world appears as a veritable well
wherein he fears he may be drowned any moment. To him his relations then seem so many venomous serpents from whom he is inclined to fly away. And such is the strength
of his impulse and
determination that he never thinks of settling his domestic affairs first before he would seek the Lord. 559. Why does a God-lover renounce everything for the sake of
Him Whom he loves? The moth after seeing a light has no mind to return to darkness; the ant
dies in the heap of sugar
but does not turn back. So the God-lover gladly sacrifices his life for the attainment
of Divine bliss, and
cares for nothing else. 560. One becomes a real Jnani. a true
Paramahamsa, only when one has tested all possible conditions of life, from the humblest
position of a scavenger to the highest role of a king, through observation, report of others
and actua1 experience, and has become convinced thereby of the trivial nature
of all worldly enjoyments. 561. Jnana never comes without renunciation of lust and possessions. With the dawn of
renunciation is destroyed
all ignorance, all Avidya. Many things can be burnt
by means of a lens held in such a manner that the rays of the sun falls on it directly, but you cannot use it so in the shade of
a room. Even so with the mind. You must take it out of
the dark cell of this world and expose it to the full blaze of self-effulgent
Divinity. Then alone true renunciation will come, and with it all ignorance will be destroyed. 562. Knowledge (jnana)
cannot be communicated all at once. Its attainment is
a question of time. Suppose a fever is of a severe type, the doctor cannot give
quinine in that circumstance. He knows that it will do no good. The fever must
first leave the patient. which depends upon time, and
then quinine or any other medicine should be administered. Analogous is the case
with a man who seeks Knowledge. Religious precepts often prove useless as long
as one is immersed
in worldliness. Allow
a man a certain time for the enjoyment of the things of the world. When
his attachment to the world has somewhat lessened. then
comes the time for fruitful religious instructions. Till then all such instructions
will only be lost upon him. 563. In a room away from their mother, little
children play with dolls just as they like; but as soon as the mother comes in,
they throw aside the dolls and run to her crying, ''Mamma, Mamma". You also
are now playing in this world, deeply absorbed in the dolls of wealth, honour and fame, without caring for anything else. But if once
you see the Divine Mother in you, you will no more find
pleasure in any of these, be it wealth, honour or fame. Leaving them all away,
you will run to Her. 564. Vairagya
is of many kinds. One kind of it springs from acute
pain due to 'worldly misery. But the better kind arises from the consciousness that all worldly blessings, though
within one's reach, are transitory and are not worth enjoying. Thus, having all,
he has not anything. 565. How many kinds of Vairagya are there? Generally two: the intense
and the moderate. Intense Vairagya is like digging
a large tank in one night until it gets filled with water
then and there. Moderate Vairagya is slow in its growth
and procrastinating. There is no knowing when it will become complete. 566. A person was going to a river to bathe
when he heard that a certain gentleman had been preparing
for some days past to renounce the world and become a sannyasin.
This somehow produced a conviction in the man's mind that the Sannyasin's is the highest mode of life. He immediately determined
to be a Sannyasin and without returning home went away
in his half-naked
condition. This illustrates intense Vairagya. 567. Dive deep into the ocean of the Absolute
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. Fear not those deep sea monsters―avarice and
anger. Paint yourself thickly with the turmeric of Viveka
and Vairagya and these alligators will not approach
you; for the scent of this turmeric is too much for them. PERSEVERANCE 568. Do you know how peasants buy their teams?
Oh, they are expert in these matters, and know very well how to distinguish
the good ones from the bad. They know how to find out the mettle of an animal.
They simply touch the tail, and the effect is miraculous. Those
that have no mettle in them will offer no resistance, but lie down on the ground
as if they are going to sleep. But those that have mettle will jump about as if
in protest against the liberty taken with them. The peasants will choose the latter. One must have the true mettle of a man
within, if one wishes to be successful in life. But there are many who have no
grit in them―who are like popped rice soaked in milk, soft and cringing!
No strength within! No capacity for sustained effort!
No power of will! They are failures in life. 569. The angler, anxious to hook a big
fish, waits calmly for hours together of having thrown the bait and the hook into
water. Similarly the devotee who patiently goes on with his devotions is sure at last to find his God. 570. The hereditary peasant does not give
up tilling the soil, though it may not rain for twelve years; but a merchant who
has recently taken to agriculture is discouraged by one season of drought. The
true believer is never discouraged even if he fails to see God in spite of lifelong
devotion. 571. He who will learn to swim must attempt
swimming for some days. None can venture to swim in the sea after a single day's
practice. So if you want to swim in the sea of Brahman, you must make many ineffectual
attempts at first before you can successfully swim therein at last. 572. The new-born calf feels unsteady and
tumbles down scores of times before it learns to stand steady. So in the path of devotion slips are many and frequent until success
is firmly achieved. 573. Two persons. it is said, together began invoking the Goddess Kali by the
terrible rite called Savasadhana. One invoker was frightened to insanity by the terrible
visions appearing in the earlier portion of the night, while the other
was favoured with the vision of the Divine Mother at
the end of the night. The latter said to the Goddess, ''Mother, why did the other
man become mad? The Deity answered, ''You too O child. did become mad many times in your previous births, and now
at last you have seen Me." Savasadhana = This tantric rite is performed in a cremation ground
in the darkness of night, the Sadaka seating
himself on a corpse. 574. Q. Peace comes to our heart but rarely, and then it does not last long. Why
is it so ? A. The fire made by burning bamboo is soon extinguished unless kept alive by constant
blowing. Uninterrupted devotion is necessary to keep alive the fire of spirituality. 575. If you fill an earthen vessel with water and set it apart on a shelf, all the water
in it evaporates in a few days; but if you keep it immersed in water, it will
remain full as long
as it is there. Such is the
case with your love of God. If you cultivate
love of God for a time, and afterwards employ yourself in other affairs forgetting
Him, there you would soon find
that your heart has become
empty of that precious love. But if you keep your blissful heart immersed always
in holy love and faith, it is sure to remain ever full to overflowing with the
divine fervour of that sacred love. 576. So long as there is fire
beneath the vessel, the milk in it boils and bubbles, but remove the fire and
the milk stands still again. So the heart of the neophyte boils with
enthusiasm only so long as he goes on with his spiritual exercises. 577. How long does godliness remain in
man? Iron is red so long as it is in the fire, but it becomes black the moment
it is removed from fire. So man is
imbued with God so long as he is in communion with Him. 578. The mind is like the curly hair of
a Negro; you may draw it straight as long as you please, but the moment you let it
go it again becomes curled. As long as the mind is forcibly kept
straight and steady, it works well and to advantage, but when you slacken your vigilance,
it turns away from the right path. 579. Tota Puri used to say, ‘‘If a brass vessel is not scoured daily, it gets dim in colour. So if a man does not meditate daily
on the Deity, his heart will get impure," To him the Master once replied that a gold vessel
does not require daily cleaning. The man who has reached God no more needs the
help of prayers and penances. Tota Puri = The itinerant
monk who initiated the Master into the practice of Advaita Vedanta. SPIRITUAL PRACTICE 580. To drink pure water from a shallow pond one should gently take the water from
the surface without disturbing it in the least. If it is disturbed, the sediments
rise up and make the whole water muddy. If you desire to be pure, have firm faith,
and slowly go on with your devotional practices. without
wasting your energy in useless scriptural discussions and arguments. Your
little brain will otherwise be muddled. 581. There are many who inquire about the
houses, and riches of a wealthy
citizen of Calcutta like Jadunath Mullick, but only a few go to see him personally and cultivate
his acquaintance. Similarly, many are the men who study scriptures and talk of
religion, but very few are those who wish to see God or take pain to approach
Him. 582. Adopt adequate means for the end you
seek to attain. You
cannot get butter by crying yourself hoarse, saying, ''There is butter in the
milk.'' If you wish to get butter, turn the milk into curd and churn it well,
and then you will have butter. So if you long to see God, take to spiritual practices (Sadhanas). What is the good of merely crying, ''O God! O God!'' 583. If a man desires to see the king in his palace, he will
have to go to the palace and pass through all the gates; but, if, after entering
the outermost gate only, he exclaims, ''Where is the king?" he will not find
him. He must go through the seven gates, and then he will see the king. 584. Effort is necessary for realization.
One day in Bhava Samadhi (spiritual absorption), I saw the Haldarpukur and found there a rustic taking water. He
removed the sedges from the surface and examined it now and again, taking it up
in his hand. It was shown to me, as if to signify that,
just as water can never be seen unless one removes the sedge, love of God and
realization of Him cannot be had if one does not work for it. Meditation, repeating the name' of
the Lord, singing His glories, praying to Him. Charity, performance of sacrifices―these
are the holy works that lead to God. Haldarpukur = A big tank situatedjust in
front of the ancestral house of Sri Ramakrishna in his native village, Kamarpukur. 585. Even Sri Krishna want through tremendous spiritual practises relating to the worship of the Radha yantra. The Yantra is the Brahmayoni (Creative Power of Brahman), and the Sadhana consisted of its worship and meditation. From this Brahmayoni there spring myriads
of worlds! 586. The course of Sadhana
is of three kinds. viz.(
I) of the nature of birds. (2) of the nature of monkeys
and (3) of the nature of ants. (1) The bird comes and pecks at a fruit which
perhaps falls down
at the
jerk and the
bird cannot
get it for eating, So there are devotees who try to rush on with devotional practices with
such violence
that it often frustrates their attempts. (2) It is the nature of the monkey to jump
from branch
to branch, holding a fruit in its mouth, and while jumping, the fruit often falls
down from its mouth. Thus at times, distracted by the changing events of life
the aspirants lose sight of the devotional path. if the
grasp is not firm. (3) The ant creeps gently and steadily towards
a grain of food, and carries it back to its hole where it enjoys it comfortably.
The course of Sadhana like that of the ant is considered the best―there is sureness of attaining
and enjoying the fruit. 587. He who is fond of fishing, and wishes to be informed if good fish abound in
a certain pond, goes to those persons
who have already fished in it, and eagerly asks them, ''Is it true that there
are big fish in this pond? And what is the most suitable bait to catch them?"
Having gathered the necessary information from them, he resorts to the pond with
his fishing rod, waits there patiently after throwing his line, and allures the
fish with dexterity. At last he succeeds in hooking a large and beautiful dweller
of the deep. Similarly, with implicit trust in the sayings
of holy saints and sages, one must try to secure God in one's own heart with the
bait of devotion, and
the rod and hook of one's mind. With unceasing patience one must wait for the
fullness of time. Then only can one catch the Divine fish. 588. The Master used to say, ''Will you be
able to obey to the fullest
extent the commands
that I give you?
Verily, I tell you, your salvation is assured if you put into practice even one-sixteenth of what I
say to you." 589. Spiritual practices (Sadhanas) are absolutely necessary
for Self-knowledge, but if there is perfect faith, then a little practice is enough. 590. Once a person comes to believe in the
power of His holy 'name' and feels inclined to repeat it constantly, neither discrimination
nor devotional exercises of any sort are necessary for him. All doubts are set
at rest, the mind becomes pure, and the Lord Himself is realized
through the force of His holy name. 591. The Vedas and the Puranas must be read and heard, but
one must act according to the precepts of the Tantras.
The 'name' of Lord Hari must be uttered by the mouth and heard with the ear as
well.. Indeed in some diseases it is necessary not only to apply medicine externally but also to
take it internally. 592. There are two kinds of Siddhas (perfect men)―Sadhana-siddhas and Kripa-siddhas
(those who have gained perfection through religious discipline and those who have
gained perfection through grace). To get a good crop, some have to irrigate their
fields with great labour by cutting canals, or by drawing
water. But some others are lucky enough to be saved all this trouble for getting
water; for there comes the rain and floods the whole
field. Almost all have to perform devotional practices assiduously in order to
get freedom from the shackles of Maya. But Kripasiddhas
are saved from all this trouble; they attain perfection
through the grace of God. Their number, however. is extremely small. CONCENTRATION AND MEDITATION 593. Meditation and contemplation should be kept up always. 594. Throwing away all work, you must meditate upon God in the evening. The thought
of God naturally comes to the mind at dusk. Everything was visible a while ago,
but ah! now it is all shrouded in darkness. Who has done
this? Such thoughts come to the mind. Haven't you marked how the Mohammedans give
up all work and sit down to pray in the evening ? 595.
As it is very difficult to gather the mustard
seeds that escape out' of a torn package and are scattered in all directions,
so it is not a very easy affair to ingather and concentrate the mind which runs
after worldly things in diverse directions. 596. Meditate on God either in an obscure corner, or in the solitude of forests,
or within the silent sanctuary of your own heart. 597. In the beginning a man should try to concentrate his mind always in a lonely
place; otherwise many things may distract him. If we put milk and water together,
they are sure to get mixed; but if the milk is changed into butter by churning,
the transformed milk (i.e. butter), instead of mixing with water, will
float upon it. So when a man has gained the power of mental concentration by constant
practice, his mind will always rise above his environment and rest in God, wherever
he might stay. 598. The Master sometimes used to instruct
his disciples:
" Before beginning your meditation, think of this (me) for some time. Do you know why I say so? Because, on account of your faith in this (me), your thoughts, if directed
towards this (me), will at once turn Godward. It is just as a herd of cows reminds
one of a cowboy; or the son, the father; or the lawyer, of the law-court. The
mind that remains scattered over a thousand and one objects will be collected
together when you will think of this (me) ; and if the mind, thus concentrated,
is then directed towards, God, meditation in its true sense will be possible'' 599.
The easiest way of concentrating the mind is to fix it on the flame of a candle.
Its inmost blue portion corresponds to the causal body or the Karanasarira. By fixing the mind on it, the power of cocentration
is soon obtained. The luminous portion that envelops the blue flame represents
the Sukshmasarira or the subtle body; and outside of
that there is what represents the gross body or the Sthulasarira. 600. Referring to the days of his Sadhana. the Master used to tell his disciples, ''Well, my boys,
in those days before meditating upon God I would imagine as if I was thoroughly
washing the mind of all the various impurities (evil thoughts, desires. etc.)
that were there, and then installing the Deity therein. Do like this." 601. During meditation you should imagine
as if you are tying your mind to the lotus feet or the Deity with a silk thread,
so that it may not wander away from there. But why must the thread be silken?
Since His lotus feet are too delicate, any other band will give Him pain. 602, In the course of his meditation. a beginner sometimes falls into a kind of sleep that goes by the name of
Yoganidra. At that time he invariably sees some kind of Divine visions. 603. Do you know how a man of Satvika (pure) nature meditates? He meditates in the dead
of night. Upon his bed, within the mosquito-curtain, so that
he may not be seen by others. 604. Be diluted in the Lord even as the crude
medicine is diluted by spirit. 605. When all the c1amouringsof the mind are hushed, there comes the suspension of breath or the
state of Kumbhaka. The Kumbhaka
comes even through Bhakti Yoga; through intense love of God also the breath is
suspended. 606. Deep meditation brings out the real
nature of the object of meditation, and infuses it into the soul of the meditator. 607. An Avadhuta
(a great Yogi) once saw a bridal procession passing along a meadow with much pomp
to the accompaniment of drums and trumpets. Hard by the way through which the
procession was passing, he saw a hunter so deeply absorbed in aiming at a bird
that he was perfectly inattentive to the procession and did not cast even a side
glance at it. The Avadhuta, saluting
the hunter. Said, ''Sir, you are my Guru. When I sit
in meditation. let my mind be concentrated on the object of meditation
as yours has been on the bird." 608. An angler was fishing
in a pond. The
Avadhuta approaching him asked, ''Brother, which road leads to Benares?" The man was at that time all attention to his fishing-rod, as the float was
indicating that a fish was nibbling at the bait. So he did not give any reply
to the question. When the fish was caught, he turned round and said, ''What was
it you were saying, sir?" The Avadhuta saluted
him and said, ''Sir, you are my Guru. When I sit in contemplation of the Supreme
Being, let me follow your example and not attend to anything else before finishing
my meditation.'' 609. Once a heron was slowly moving towards the
edge of a pond to catch a fish. Behind,
there was a hunter aiming an arrow at it; but the bird was totally unmindful of
this fact. The Avadhuta, saluting the heron said,
''When I sit in meditation, let me follow your example and never turn back to
see who or what is behind me.'' 610. ''To him, who is perfect in meditation,
salvation is very near." is an old saying. Do you know when a man becomes
perfect in meditation? When, on sitting down to meditate, he becomes immediately
surrounded with divine atmosphere and his soul communes
with God. 611. There comes deep concentration in
meditation when nothing else can be seen or heard. Even
perceptions and feelings disappear. A snake may crawl over the body, but one does not
feel it. Neither the person meditating nor the snake feels it. 612. He who at the time
of contemplation becomes so unconscious of everything outside that he would not know if birds were to nest in his hair―such a man has really acquired the perfection of meditative power. 613. In deep meditation all the functions
of the senses
are inhibited. The outward flow of the mind comes to a dead stop as if the door
of the outer apartment is closed. All the five objects of the senses―light,
sound, taste, touch and smell―lie outside unperceived.
At first, visions
of sense objects appear before the mind during meditation but
when it becomes deep, they never rise at all―they lie outside, debarred. 614. The secret is that the union with God
(Yoga) can never happen unless the mind is rendered absolutely
calm. Whatever be the 'path' you follow for God-realization. The mind is
always under the control of the Yogi, and not the Yogi under the control of his
mind. CHAPTER XIlJ YEARNING FOR GOD Be mad for God―Nature of true yearning―Sole
condition of God-realization BE MAD FOR GOD 615. If you must be mad, be it not for
the things of the world. Be mad with the love of God. 616. Some men shed streams of tears because
sons are not born to them, others eat away their hearts
in sorrow because they cannot get riches. But alas! how many are there who sorrow and weep for not having seen
the Lord! Very few indeed!
Verily.he who seeks the Lord, who weeps for Him, attains
Him. 617. He who yearns after God cannot bestow
any thought of such trifles as food and drink. 618. He, who
feels thirsty does not discard the water of the river merely because
it is muddy, nor does he begin to dig a well to find clear water. So he who feels
real spiritual thirst does not discard the religion near at hand, be it Hinduism
or any other, nor does he create a new religion for himself. A really thirsty man has no time for such deliberations. NATURE OF TRUE YEARNING 619. Let your heart pant for Him as a miser
longs for gold. 620. As the drowning man pants hard for
breath, so must one's heart yearn for the Lord before one can find Him. 621." Do you know what kind of Love
is required for gaining the Lord? Just as a dog with
a bruised head runs restlesssly, so must one become
distressed for His sake. 622. O heart, call on your almighty Mother
sincerely and you will see how She quickly comes running to you. When one calls on God with heart and soul, He cannot remain unmoved. 623: Did you know how intense our love of
God should be? The love that a devoted wife possesses for her beloved husband,
the attachment that a miser feels for his hoarded wealth, and the clinging
desire that the worldly-minded
foster for the things of the world―when the intensity of your heart's longing for the
Lord is equal to the sum of these three, then you will attain Him. 624. Jesus Christ was one day walking along
the seashore when a devotee approached him and asked him, ''Lord, how can one
attain God?'' Jesus directly walked into the sea with the enquirer and immersed
him in the water. After a short time, he released him, and raising him by the
arm, and asked him, ''How did you feel? The devotee replied, ''I felt as though
my last moment had come―the condition was
desperate." Upon this Jesus said, ''You shall see the Father when your heart
pants for Him as it has panted for a breath of air just now." This story is not in the Bible and there is
something in the Bible coming near it. It might be in an 'apocrypha'
and Sri Ramakrishna might have heard it from somebody acquainted with it. 625. I must attain God in this very life;
yea, in three days I must find Him; nay, with a single utterance of His name I will draw Him to me―with
such violent Love the devotee can attract the Lord and realize Him quickly. But
devotees who are lukewarm in their Love take ages to find Him, indeed, if they
find Him at all. 626. Why this attitude of an idler, that if
realization is not possible in this birth, it will come in the next? There should not be such sluggishness in devotion. The goal can never
be reached unless a man makes his mind strong, and firmly resolves that he must realize God in
this very birth,
nay, this very
moment. In the countryside, when cultivators go to purchase bullocks, they first touch the tails of the animals. Some of
the bullocks do not make any response to this. Rather, they relax all their limbs
and lie down on the ground. At once the cultivators understand them to be worthless.
There are some others that jump about and behave violently the
moment their tails are touched, and the peasants can immediately know that
they will be very useful. Their choice is then made from
among this active type. Slothfulness is not at all desirable. Gather strength,
firm faith, and say that you must realize God this very moment. Then only can
you succeed. SOLE CONDITION OF GOD REALISATION Sole Condition of God-Realization 627. What means should we adopt in order
to get free from the clutches of Maya? He who yearns to be free from its clutches
is shown the way by God Himself. Only ceaseless yearning
is needed. 628. A devotee asked the Master, ''By what
means can He be seen ?" and the Master replied, ''Can you weep for
Him with intense longing? Men weep jugfuls of tears
for children, wife, money, etc. but who weeps for God? So long as a child is engrossed
in play with its toys, the mother engages herself in cooking and other household
works. But when the little one finds no more satisfaction in toys, throws them aside
and loudly cries for its mother, she can no longer remain in the kitchen. She
drops down the rice pot, perhaps,
from the hearth, and
runs in hot
haste to the child and takes it up
in arms." 629, He finds God quickest, whose concentration
and yearning are strongest. 630. In this age of Kali three days' ardent
yearning to see God is enough for a man to obtain Divine grace. 631. Uncle moon is the uncle of all children.
So also God is everyone's, All
have got the right to call on the Lord. Whoever calls on Him becomes blessed by realizing Him. If you call on Him, you too
can realize Him. 632. Verily, tell you he who wants Him finds
Him. Go and verify it in your own life. Try for three days,
try with genuine zeal. and you
are sure to succeed. 633.
Pray to the Divine Mother, begging her to give you unswerving love and adamantine
faith. 634. Where does the strength of an aspirant lie? He is a child
of God, and tears are his greatest strength. As a mother fulfils the desires of a child who weeps and importunes her.
so does the Lord grant to His weeping child whatever
he is crying for. 635. A certain man once said
to the Master, ''I am now fifty-five years old. I have been engaged in the search
for the Lord for fourteen years, Ī have followed the advice of my teachers, had been
to all the
sacred
places of pilgrimage, and have seen many a holy man; but I have gained nothing."
Hearing this the Master replied, ''I assure you, he who yearns for Him shall find Him. Look at me and take heart." 636. The child said, ‘‘Mother dear, wake me up when I shall be hungry." The mother replied, "Darling hunger itself will
awaken you." 637. As a child beseeches its
mother for toys and pice, weeping and teasing her, so he who weeps inwardly, intensely longing to see Him, like an innocent child, and knowing Him to be his nearest and dearest,
is rewarded at last with the vision Divine. God can no longer remain hidden from such an earnest and importunate seeker. 638. In Yatras depicting the life of Krishna, the play
commences with the beating of drums and the loud singing of
'O Krishna, come! Come. O dear!'
But the person who plays the part of Krishna pays no heed to the noise and goes
on complacently chatting and smoking in the green-room behind the stage. But as
soon as the noise ceases and the pious sage Narada, overflowing with
love, enters the stage with sweet and soft music and summons Krishna to appear, Krishna finds that he can no longer remain indifferent. Hurriedly he then enters stage.
As long as the spiritual aspirant calls on the Lord with mere lip-prayers―'Come, O Lord' ―the Lord
will not appear. When the Lord comes, the heart of the devotee melts into divine
emotion, and all loud utterances cease forever. The Lord cannot tarry when His
devotee calls on Him from the depth of his heart overflowing with profound Love. End of Book Two, Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna. |