Divine in Family Life

It is 28 November 1883. At about four or five in the afternoon, Sri Ramakrishna went to the Lily Cottage of Keshab Chandra Sen. Keshab has been ill and will soon leave this world. After visiting him, Thakur comes with some devotees to the house of Jaygopal Sen on Mathaghasha Street. It is after seven in the evening.

The devotees are thinking about many things: We see Thakur day and night overwhelmed with the love of God. He is married but has not established a conjugal relationship with his wife. He has love and devotion for her and worships her, but he only talks about God with her. He sings of God, worships God, meditates on Him; he has no worldly connection. He sees that God is the only Reality and all else is unreal. He cannot touch money or any metal object – jug or bowl. He cannot touch a woman; if he does, his body shivers at the spot as if stung by a singi fish. His hand twists when money or gold is placed in his palm, like a cripple, and his breathing stops. When he throws them away, he begins to breath normally, as before.

The devotees think of many questions, such as: Will we have to renounce the world? What is the need for studying anymore? If we don’t marry, we won’t have to get a job. Will we have to leave our parents?  Or: I have married, I have children, I have to take care of my wife – what about me? I also want to remain absorbed in the love of God day and night. When I see Sri Ramakrishna, I say to myself, What I am doing? Day and night he meditates on God, like an unceasing flow of oil. But I am running around all the time thinking about worldly things. Just his presence is like a small spot of light in a sky overcast with clouds. Oh, how can I solve the problem of my life?

He has given the example of his own personal practice. Why do I still have doubts?

Shall I break this dam of sand and fulfill my desire? Is this (world) really a sand dam? If so, why can’t I give it up? I see that I’m not strong enough. When I have developed that sort of love for Him, I won’t calculate. If a tide flows in the Ganges, who can stop it? If one has just a drop of the ecstatic love which made Sri Chaitanya put on the loin cloth, or the intense love for God that moved Christ to go into exile without consideration of anything else and made him give up his body after having a vision of the face of his loving Father, or the ecstatic love that made the Buddha give up his princely luxury and become a renunciate, then the transitory world can be cast away.

So what is the way for those who are weak, who have not developed ecstatic love, who are worldly beings tied by the fetters of maya? I won’t leave the company of this great soul intoxicated with love for God, who looks for nothing but God. Let me see what he says.

All these thoughts occupy the minds of the devotees. Thakur is sitting in Jaygopal’s drawing room. Seated in front of him are Jaygopal, his family, and some of his neighbours. One neighbour, ready for discussion, starts the conversation. Vaikuntha, Jaygopal’s brother, is also there.

Family life and Sri Ramakrishna

Vaikuntha: “We are worldly people, please tell us something.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “After knowing God, keep one hand on His lotus feet and attend to your worldly duties with the other.”

Vaikuntha: “Sir, is this world unreal?”

Sri Ramakrishna: “It is unreal until you know God. Man forgets Him and thinks, ‘Mine, mine.’ Bound by maya, deluded by ‘lust and greed,’ he goes down and down. Entangled so in maya, he has lost his senses. He can’t find a way out, even when there is a way. There is a song that says:

With her magic what a spell Mahamaya casts! Even Brahma and Vishnu have lost their senses. What, then, can mere mortals hope to know?

When a trap for fish is set, they enter, and though the way out is clear, they fail to emerge.

The silkworm spins its own cocoon and surely can escape; yet by Mahamaya’s delusion bound, it emerges not but remains within to die.

“You yourselves are able to see that the world is transitory. Why don’t you see this very family as transitory? So many people have come and then departed, so many born and then died. The world now is and then is not – it is ephemeral. They whom you call ‘my’ and ‘mine’ are not there as soon as you shut your eyes at death. A person might not have close relations – but still does not go to Kashi because of a grandson: ‘What will happen to my Haru?’ There is a way out, yet the fish do not escape. The silkworm dies in its own secretions. This world is unreal, it is impermanent.”

Neighbour: “Sir, how can I hold to God with one hand and the world with the other? If the world is transitory, why should I hold onto it with even one hand?”

Sri Ramakrishna: “If you live in the world after knowing Him, the world is no longer ephemeral. Listen to this song:

O mind, you do not know how to farm.

The field of your life lies fallow; were you to cultivate it, you would reap a golden harvest.

Fence it around with Kali’s name, and your crop will not be harmed.

That fence of the Mother with long flowing hair is strong indeed: not even Death himself dares come near.

Not today or in a hundred years will your crops be snatched away.

Work now, O mind, to reap your harvest to the full. Sow the seed, your guru’s gift, and shower it with the water of love.

If you cannot do so by yourself, take Ramprasad along.

How to realize God in family life

Sri Ramakrishna: “Did you hear the song, ‘Fence it around with Kali’s name, and your crop will not be harmed’? Take refuge in God and you’ll get everything. This fence of the Divine Mother with long flowing hair is very strong. Not even Yama, the God of Death, dares to approach it. It is a very strong fence. If you can realize God, the world will appear unimportant. Whoever knows God sees that He Himself has become the world, its creatures, and all that. You will feed your boy as though you were feeding Gopal.[5] You will see your father and mother as God and the Divine Mother, and you will serve them as though they were. If you live in the family after knowing God, you won’t maintain a worldly relationship with your wife. Both of you, being devotees, will talk only of God, only of divine matters. You will serve the devotees of God, knowing Him to be present in all existence. Both of you will serve God.”

Neighbour: “Sir, such a husband and wife can be found nowhere.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, there are such people, but they are rare. Worldly people cannot recognize them. But both of them have to be good to reach that state. This is possible only when both derive divine joy from it. For this, God’s special grace is necessary. Without it, there is always misunderstanding between them, and one of them has to leave. There is great discord if they don’t agree. The wife may possibly complain day and night, ‘Why did father give me away in marriage to this family? Neither have I myself eaten well, nor have I been able to feed my children. Neither have I good clothes to wear, nor do my children. You have given me not a single piece of jewelry. What joy of life have you given me in this house? You keep on repeating ‘Lord, Lord’ with your eyes closed. Give up this type of madness!’”

Devotee: “There are such obstacles, of course. Then the sons may be disobedient! How troublesome that is! So what is the way, sir?”

Sri Ramakrishna: “It is very difficult to practice spiritual disciplines while living in the family. There are so many hindrances. I don’t have to tell you about these – disease, sorrow, poverty, discord with wife, and sons who are disobedient, ignorant, and foolish.

“Even so, there is a way. Occasionally you must go into solitude and pray to God. You should make an effort to attain Him.”

Neighbour: “Should one leave the family?”

Sri Ramakrishna: “That’s not necessary. But whenever you are free, go to a solitary place and live there for a day or two so that you are detached from family affairs and don’t have to talk of worldly things to any worldly person. Either live in solitude or keep the company of the holy.”

Neighbour: “How do we recognize a holy person?”

Sri Ramakrishna: “A holy person is one whose mind, heart, and soul are merged in God. He who has renounced ‘lust and greed’ is a holy person. A man who is holy doesn’t see a woman with a carnal eye. His mind is always drawn within. If he happens to be near a woman, he looks upon her as Mother and worships her. A holy person is always thinking inwardly of God. He talks of nothing but Him. And knowing that God is present in all existence, he serves Him. Broadly speaking, these are the characteristics of a holy person.”

Neighbour: “Does one always have to live in solitude?”

Sri Ramakrishna: “Think of a tree on a footpath. As long as it’s small, it has to be fenced on all sides; otherwise, a goat or a cow might eat it. But when the plant develops a thick trunk, no fence is needed. Then, even if an elephant is tied to it, the tree doesn’t break. If you can develop the trunk, there’s no worry, no fear. First try to gain discrimination. If you rub your hands with oil before you cut open a jackfruit, its milky sap will not stick to your hands.”

Neighbour: “What is discrimination?”

Sri Ramakrishna: “That only God is real, all else is unreal. Thinking this way is discrimination. ‘Real’ means eternal, and ‘unreal’ means transient. Whoever has attained discrimination knows that God is the only reality, that all else is unreal. When you’ve developed discrimination, you want to know God. If you are inclined to the unreal, you like physical comforts, name and fame, money, and all these things. You don’t feel the need to know God, who is Reality Himself. When you know the difference between the real and the unreal, only then will you want to seek God. Listen to this song:

Come, O mind, let us go for a walk to Kali, the wish-fulfilling tree and gather there the four fruits of life.

Of your two wives, Worldliness and Dispassion, take only Dispassion along, and ask her eldest son, Discrimination,11 for the truth about Reality.

When will you lie down happily between your wives, Purity and Defilement? When you see no difference between these two, then shall you see the Divine Mother Kali.

Drive out your parents, Ego and Ignorance, and should Delusion attempt to drag you into its pit, hold fast to the post of Patience.

Tie the goats of Virtue and Vice to the post of unconcern, and should they become unruly, kill them both with the Sword of Knowledge.

Admonish, O mind, the children of your first wife, Worldliness, and tell them to keep their distance. Should they not obey you, then drown them in the Sea of Knowledge.

Ramprasad says: If you can do this, you will render a proper account to the Lord of Death, and I shall be pleased to call you “my dear one,” a mind after my own heart.

“You attain discrimination only when dispassion comes to the mind. When you have attained discrimination, you begin to think of the truth. Then the mind has the desire to stroll under the kalpataru (wish-fulfilling tree) of Kali. When you are under this tree, when you are near God, the four fruits come to you effortlessly. You have only to pick them up – the fruits of dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (fulfillment of legitimate desires) and moksha (liberation). When a householder attains Him, whatever he needs – dharma, artha, or kama – he  gets.”

Neighbour: “Why is the world called maya?”

Spiritual Bliss

The eleventh day of the dark fortnight in the month of Kartik, 26 November 1883. The Sinduriapatti Brahmo Samaj holds its sessions at the house of Manilal Mallick on Chitpur Road. It is at the southern corner of Harrison Road, a little north of the shops that sell pomegranates, apples, other fruits, and pistachios. The Samaj holds its session in the first floor hall on the side of the house near the main road. Today is its annual session and Manilal has made suitable arrangements for the occasion.

The worship room is full of joy today, decorated inside and out with green leaves and various flowers and garlands. Devotees sitting in the hall are waiting for the worship to begin. There is not enough space for everybody in the room, so a number of them are pacing the western roof or are sitting on the beautifully made colourful benches placed here and there. At times the master of the house and family come to greet the devotees with sweet words. The devotees have begun to arrive in the late afternoon, inspired with a special zeal today because Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Deva is to come. He is loved by the Brahmo devotees because of his great affection for their leaders – Keshab, Vijay, Shivanath, and others. He is intoxicated with the wine of divine love for God. This love, together with a burning faith, childlike conversations with the Divine Mother, tearful yearning, a worship of women as Mother, avoidance of all worldly talk, and his incessant talk about God like an unbroken flow of oil, his harmony of religions and absence of the least trace of contempt for other religions, his tearful cry for the devotees of God – all these things have attracted the minds of Brahmo devotees. That is why so many people have come from distant places to have his darshan.

Shivanath and speaking  truth

Sri Ramakrishna talks happily with Vijaykrishna Goswami and other Brahmo devotees. The assembly room has been lighted. Worship is to begin soon.

Sri Ramakrishna says: “Brother, why isn’t Shivanath coming?”

Brahmo devotee:  “Well, he is very busy today. He will not be able to come.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “I feel very happy when I see Shivanath. He seems drenched in the bliss of love for God. Besides, when so many respect him, there is certainly some divine power in him. But Shivanath has a serious defect: he does not keep his word. He once told me he would come to the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar, but he didn’t show up. He didn’t even send word. That isn’t right. It is said that truthful speech is the austerity in this Kaliyuga. By sticking to truth, one realizes God. By not sticking to truth, one gradually loses everything. Keeping this in mind, if I say I’m going to answer the call of nature but then feel no need to, I take a wash pot and go to the jhautala anyway. My concern is that I might ultimately lose my regard for truth. In this state of mind, I took flowers in my hand and said to the Divine Mother, ‘Mother, here is your knowledge, and here is your ignorance; take them both, and grant me pure love. Here is your purity, and here is your impurity; take them both, and grant me pure love. Here is your good, and here is your evil; take them both, and grant me pure love. Here is your virtue, and here is your vice; take them both, and grant me pure love.’

“When I said these things, I could not say, ‘Mother, take your truth and take your untruth.’ I could give up everything to the Divine Mother – but I could not give up truth.”

The worship starts according to the Brahmo system. The preacher is on the platform; a lantern illumines him. After the initial ceremony, he chants verses from the Vedas on the supreme Brahman. The Brahmo devotees begin to chant together the ancient words of the Aryan rishis. They chant: “Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, and the Infinite. It shines as Bliss and Immortality. It is Peace, All-Good, One without a second. It is pure and untouched by sin.”

The chanting, filled with the sound of ‘Om,’ resounds in the hearts of the devotees. Most of them have almost entirely relinquished worldly desires. Their minds have become quite steady and meditative. They all sit quiet for some time, eyes closed in contemplation of the qualified Brahman of the Vedas.

The Paramahamsa Deva is overwhelmed with divine emotion. His body still as a picture, his eyes fixed, he is speechless. The wings of his soul are flying elsewhere in joy. Only his inert body remains, as if emptied out.

As soon as his samadhi is over, Sri Ramakrishna opens his eyes and looks around. He notices that everyone at the meeting is sitting with closed eyes. With the words “Brahman! Brahman!” he suddenly stands up. Then, as the worship ends, and with the accompaniment of drum and cymbals, the devotees sing. Intoxicated with the joy of ecstatic love,[1] Sri Ramakrishna joins them in dance. Everyone is charmed to watch his graceful dance. Vijaykrishna and other devotees also begin to dance, encircling him. Watching this wonderful scene and enjoying the communal singing, many forget the world for some time. Drunk with the wine of God’s name, they have begun to feel that worldly joy is, indeed, bitter; they forget worldly pleasure for a while.

When the devotional singing ends, they all sit around Thakur to hear what he is going to say.

Chapter Two

Advice to householders

Sri Ramakrishna addresses the assembled Brahmo devotees: “It is very difficult to lead a householder’s life without attachment. Pratap used to say, ‘Sir, we follow King Janaka. He lived a householder’s life, but without attachment. We shall do the same.’ I said, ‘Can you become King Janaka just by wishing to? King Janaka gained spiritual knowledge after much austerity! He returned to his family only after undergoing extremely hard austerities – like standing on his head for years.’

“Does that mean there is no way for householders? Certainly there is. A householder should practice religious disciplines in solitude for some days. By doing so, a person develops love and devotion for God and gains spiritual knowledge. After this, there is nothing wrong in going back and leading a family life. When a man practices spiritual disciplines in solitude, he must separate himself completely, by all means, from the household – from wife, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, near relatives. No one should stay with him. During solitary spiritual practice, he should say to himself, ‘I have no one in the world to call my own. God is my all in all.’ He should weep persistently and pray for spiritual knowledge and love and devotion for Him.

“If you ask how many days you should live away from the family, even one day is good, but three days are still better. You can live for twelve days, a month, three months, a year – as long as possible. After gaining knowledge and loving devotion to God, there is not much danger in living a householder’s life.

“If you rub your hands with oil before you cut a jackfruit open, its sticky juice won’t stick to your hands. When playing the game of hide and seek, you are safe if you touch the granny. Touch the philosopher’s stone once and you become gold.  After turning into gold, something may be buried underground for a thousand years and will still be gold when you take it out.

“The mind is like milk. If you keep it in the water of the world, the milk will get mixed with water. You must transform the milk into curds in a lonely corner to take the butter from it. When, by practicing spiritual disciplines in solitude, you’ve taken out the butter of spiritual knowledge and love for God from the milk of the mind, then that butter can easily be kept in the water of the world. It will never get mixed with the water. It will float on the surface, free from any attachment.”

Chapter Three

Solitary spiritual disciplines of Vijaykrishna Goswami

Vijay Goswami has recently returned from Gaya. He spent quite a few days in solitude and lived in the company of sadhus. He has now taken to wearing the ochre cloth. He is in a very good state of mind – as if always drawn within. He keeps his head bent before the Paramahamsa Deva, as if absorbed in contemplation of God.

Looking at Vijay, Sri Ramakrishna asks him: “Vijay, have you found a place to stay?

“Listen to this. Two sadhus came to a city during their wanderings. One of them was looking with curiosity at the bazaar, shops, and residential quarters of the town when he came across the other sadhu. The latter said, ‘You’re going around the city agape. Where is your luggage?’ The first sadhu replied, ‘I found a place to stay.[2] I’ve locked my belongings there. Now I’ve come out to wander around the city without having to worry about them.’ That’s why I’m asking whether you’ve found a place to stay. (To M. and the others) Look, the fountain within Vijay has been covered for so long.  Now it’s open.”

Vijay and Shivanath – selfless work – sannyasin’s renunciation of desire

(To Vijay) “Look, Shivanath has so many problems. He has to write for the newspaper, among many other things. Worldly work causes restlessness and brings anxiety and worry to the mind.

“The Srimad Bhagavata talks about the twenty-four gurus of the Avadhuta (Rishi Dattatreya), one of which was a kite. Some fishermen were catching fish at a certain place when a kite came swooping down, grabbed one of the fish, and carried it away. Seeing it, some thousand crows flying in formation followed the kite, cawing and creating a great nuisance. Whatever direction the kite flew with the fish, the crows followed. The kite flew south and the crows went south. When it flew north, the crows did the same. When the kite flew to the east or to the west, they followed. At last when the kite became confused and began flying around in circles, it dropped the fish. The crows left the kite and flew after the fish. The kite then sat on the branch of a tree and thought to itself, That fish created all this trouble. Now that I have no fish, I am at peace.

“The Avadhuta learned from the kite that as long as one has the fish of desire, there is work to do. And because of work, there is worry, anxiety, and restlessness. As soon as one gives up desires, work no longer binds[3] and one is at peace.

“That is why working without expectation of any reward is good. It does not bring restlessness. But it is very difficult to do. I may think that I’m doing selfless work, but somehow selfish motivation creeps in, from where I don’t know. Only with the power that comes from a great deal of spiritual disciplines are a few able to work selflessly. After God-realization, selfless work comes automatically. With God-realization, a person can almost give up work. Only one or two (like Narada) keep working to teach others.”

Sannyasin will not hoard – renunciation of work only after developing intense love for God[4]

“The Avadhuta had another guru, a bee. The bee collects honey by labouring hard for days on end, but the honey is not its own. Someone comes and breaks the honeycomb and takes away the honey. The Avadhuta learned from the bee that one should not hoard. Sadhus should depend one hundred percent on God. They should not accumulate things.

“However, this is not true for householders. A householder must take care of his family, so he has to save. Birds and sadhus don’t lay things away – but a bird does accumulate when it has a chick; it collects food in its beak for its chick.

“Look here, Vijay. If you see a sadhu with baggage or a bundle of things tied with fifteen knots, don’t trust him. I saw such sadhus under the banyan tree. Two or three of them were sitting there. One was separating good lentils from bad, the other was repairing his dhoti,[5] and they were talking of feasts given by rich men. They were saying, ‘I say, that gentleman has spent hundreds of thousands of rupees. He fed the sadhus so well! He prepared puris, jilibis, peras, barfis, malapuas, and all sorts of things.’” (All laugh.)

Vijay: “Yes, I saw sadhus like that in Gaya, too. In Gaya, sadhus swindle.” (All laugh.)

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay): “When you develop ecstatic love for God, work falls off automatically. Let those act whom the Lord makes act. Your time has come now. Giving up everything, you should say: ‘O my mind, may you and I behold Her and no one else!’

Saying this, Sri Ramakrishna sings in his exquisitely sweet voice, showering the sweetness of God:

Cherish the beloved Mother Shyama in your heart.

O mind, may you and I alone behold Her, and let no one else intrude. Leaving behind all passions, anger and such vices, come, O mind, and let us behold her in solitude,

Taking with us only the tongue, that it may call on Her now and then, repeating, “Mother, Mother!”

O mind, allow neither baseness nor enticement to draw near, but let the eyes of knowledge, ever alert, keep watch.

(To Vijay) “You have taken refuge in God. Now shun the feelings of shame, fear, and the like. Give up the feeling that if you dance and sing the name of God, people will say things about you.”

Feeling of shame, contempt, and fear

“When you have the feelings of shame, hatred, and fear, you cannot succeed. Feelings of shame, hatred, fear, pride of caste, secretiveness, – these are all bonds. The embodied soul is liberated only when he is free of them.

“He who is bound is embodied (jiva), and he who is free from bonds is divine (Shiva). Love for God is very rare. If you have single-minded devotion[6] to God, like a wife has for her husband in the beginning, only then do you develop love for God. Pure selfless love is very difficult to attain. In it, the soul and mind lose themselves in Him.

“Then comes the state of bhava.[7] In bhava man becomes speechless. His breathing stops – he automatically experiences suspension of breath,[8] as happens when a man fires a gun. A marksman firing a bullet becomes speechless, and his breathing stops.

“Attaining intense love for God is very rare. Chaitanya Deva attained it. When you have ecstatic love for God, you forget external objects, you forget the world. You forget even your own body which is so dear to you.”

Saying this, Sri Ramakrishna begins to sing again:

When will dawn that day when tears stream from my eyes as I repeat Lord Hari’s name?

When will dawn that day when worldly desires disappear from my heart?

When will dawn that day when my body thrills and my hair stands on end?

When will dawn that day?

Chapter Four

Bhava and suspension of breath  – vision of God when spiritual current rises

While the conversation continues, many other invited Brahmo devotees arrive. Several are learned, some occupying high positions in the government. One of them is Rajni Nath Ray.

Sri Ramakrishna says, “In a high spiritual state,[9] breathing stops.” He further says, “When Arjuna aimed at his target, his sight was fixed solely on the eye of the fish. He didn’t see anything else. He didn’t see any other part of the fish but the eye. In such a state, breathing stops and a person experiences retention of breath.

“There is another sign of God-vision: The spiritual current[10]from within rushes up toward the brain. At that time, if you attain samadhi, you realize God.”

Mere learning itself is deceptive –  riches, power, honour, and rank all illusory

(Looking at the Brahmo devotees who have just arrived) “Those who are merely learned and have no love for God say conflicting things. There was a pundit, Samadhyayi by name, who said, ‘The Lord is totally devoid of love, joy, sweetness, and bliss.[11] Make Him sweet[12] by your intense love and devotion for Him.’ He who is called the Essence of Bliss[13] in the Vedas was termed devoid of sweetness by this fellow. This only shows that the man didn’t know at all what God really is. That is why he talked so absurdly.

“Somebody said, ‘There is a cowshed full of horses in my maternal uncle’s house.’ From this you understand that there was not a single horse – horses are not kept in cowsheds. (All laugh.)

“People are proud of wealth, possessions, property, honour, rank, and so on. But these last for only a few days; nothing will accompany you at death. A song goes like this:

Consider this, O mind: no one is your own. In this world there is mere illusion.

Do not forget the beneficent Mother by getting ensnared in Her maya’s net.

Think of those over whom you fret almost unto death: in death would they accompany you?

Even your beloved wife would deny you and shun your corpse as something impure.

Just for a day or two do people call you lord and master; they will cease to call you so when the master called Death arrives for you.

The great remedy for pride – there are others greater than you

“You shouldn’t be proud of your money. If you think you’re wealthy, another is wealthier than you, and still others wealthier than he. After dusk a firefly comes out and thinks it lights the world. But as soon as the stars appear, its pride takes a fall. The stars then begin to think that they are lighting the world. After some time, when the moon appears, the stars are dimmed in shame. The moon then begins to think that the whole world is smiling because of its light, that it is lighting the world. But not much later comes the dawn. And then the sun rises and now the moon is dim. In a short time it is invisible.

“If wealthy people were to think this way, they wouldn’t take pride in their wealth.”

Manilal has arranged for a big feast in connection with the festival. He serves food to Sri Ramakrishna and the assembled devotees with great love and attention, and to their heart’s content. It is quite dark when they begin to leave for home, but no one feels inconvenienced.

[1]. Prema.

[2].  Vasa.

[3]. Karmakshaya.

[4]. Prema.

[5].  A wearing cloth.

[6]. Nishtha bhakti.

[7].  Ecstasy.

[8]. Kumbhaka.

[9]. Bhava.

[10]. Mahavayu.

[11]. Neeras.

[12]. Saras.

[13]. Rasasvarupa.

Talk on Vedanta

Sri Ramakrishna is with the devotees at the Dakshineswar temple. It is Sunday, 19 August 1883, the first day of the dark fortnight in the month of Shravana. Only a short time ago the sanai was played during the worship while food was offered to the deities. The doors of the temple have been shut. Sri Ramakrishna has taken a rest after his midday meal and is now sitting on the smaller cot in his room. It is noon. M. enters and bows to him. After a while Sri Ramakrishna begins to talk to him about Vedanta.

Belief of Vedantists – talk about Krishnakishore

Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Listen, the Ashtavakra Samhita talks about Self-knowledge. The knowers of the Self say ‘So ‘ham’; that is, ‘I am that Paramatman (the highest Self).’ This is the view of the sannyasins of the Vedantic school. But it is not suited for householders. They feel they perform all actions and duties themselves, so how can they say, ‘I am that Paramatman beyond all action?’ According to Vedantists, the Self has no attachment to anything. Pleasure and pain, virtue and vice, none of these can harm the Self. But they do afflict those who identify themselves with their bodies.  Smoke soils a wall, but it cannot affect space. Krishnakishore used to talk like a jnani and say, ‘I am kha,’ that is, like space – but then he’s a real devotee and can say that.  It is not appropriate for others.”

Vice and virtue – maya or compassion

“But to cherish the idea ‘I am free’ is very good. If you say again and again, ‘I am free, I am free,’ you become free. On the other hand, if you constantly say, ‘I am bound, I am bound,’ you indeed become bound. He who repeats ‘I am a sinner, I am a sinner,’ that wretch is sure to have a fall. Rather, one should say, ‘I have chanted the name of God, what evil can befall me, what bondage?’

(To M.) “Look here, my mind is upset. Hriday[3] has written me a letter saying he is very ill. Is my concern maya or daya (compassion)?”

What can M. say? He remains silent.

Sri Ramakrishna: “Do you know what maya is? Love toward your relatives: toward father and mother, brother and sister, wife and son, nephew and niece – that is maya. But daya means love for all created beings. Well, what is it in my case – maya or daya? Hriday has done so much for me, served me so well. He has cleaned my excrement with his own hands. But he was equally hard on me at the end. He became so harsh that once I went to the embankment to throw myself into the Ganges to drown. But he has done a lot for me. If he could get some money, my mind would be at rest. But whom can I ask for it? I don’t want to ask any of the gentlemen who come to see me.”

Chapter Two

Clay image of the Divine Mother – vision of the Divine Mother Mrinmayi in Vishnupur

At two or three o’clock in the afternoon the great devotees Adhar Sen and Balaram Bose arrive. They prostrate before Sri Ramakrishna and sit down, asking him how he is. Sri Ramakrishna says, “Well, my body is all right, but my mind is a little disturbed.”

He does not mention anything about Hriday’s trouble.

The conversation turns to Goddess Simhavahini[4] in the house of the Mallicks of Burrabazar.

Sri Ramakrishna: “I went to see Simhavahini at the house of the Mallicks in Chashadhopa Para. The family lives in a dilapidated house in straightened circumstances, with pigeon droppings here, moss there, and lime and sand plaster crumbling off the walls. The prosperity that I have seen in the houses of other Mallicks was not in this one. (To M.) Tell me, what does this mean?  Please tell me.”

M. remains silent.

“Do you know what? Everyone must reap the consequences of his past actions. One has to accept that there are tendencies from past births[5] and the fruits of these actions are now being played out.[6]

(To M.) “And in that dilapidated house, I saw the face of Simhavahini beaming with glory. You have to believe in the divine presence in an image of the Deity.[7]

“Once I went to Vishnupur. The king has a beautiful temple there. There is an image of the Divine Mother called Mrinmayi. There are several lakes near the temple: Krishna-bandh, Lal-bandh and so on. Now tell me why I smelled the ointment used by women for their hair. I didn’t know at the time that women devotees offer the goddess this ointment when they go to have Her darshan. I went into bhava samadhi near the lake, before I had seen the image. In that ecstatic state I had the vision of Mrinmayi from the waist up.”

Pleasure and pain of the devotee –  stories of the Bhagavata and Mahabharata

By this time some other devotees have arrived. The conversation turns to the coup and war in Kabul. One of them says, “Yakub Khan has been deposed.” Addressing the Paramahamsa, he says, “Sir, Yakub Khan is a great devotee.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “The fact is that pleasure and pain are the characteristics of embodiment. In Kavi Kankan’s Chandi it is said that Kaluvir was sent to jail and stones were placed on his chest, though Kaluvir was a highly favoured child of the Divine Mother, Bhagavati. When one takes on a body, pleasure and pain come with it.

“Srimanta was a great devotee. And the Divine Mother had great affection for his mother, Khullana. Yet Srimanta suffered so much. He was taken to the cremation ground to be cut into pieces!

“A woodcutter was another great devotee. The Divine Mother granted him Her vision. She loved him immensely and bestowed on him much grace. Yet the woodcutter was not freed from work.  He still had to earn his living by cutting wood. Devaki had the vision of the four-armed Lord Vishnu holding conch, discus, mace, and lotus, but her imprisonment did not end.”

M.: “Why speak only of ending the imprisonment? This body is the source of all the trouble. It would have been better for her to be freed from the body.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “The fact is that one reaps the fruit of those past actions which are producing results in this life.[8] One has to remain in the body until the results of those past actions wear out. Once a blind man had a dip in the Ganges. He was freed from all his sins, but his blindness was not cured. (All laugh.) It was the fruit of actions in his past life, so he had to bear it.”

Mani: “The arrow once shot is no longer under one’s control.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “Whatever the pleasure and pain of the body may be, a devotee’s spiritual knowledge, the wealth of his love and devotion for God, endures. This treasure is never lost. Just see what calamities the Pandavas suffered! But they never once, in all their troubles, lost their spiritual consciousness. Where can you find such men of knowledge and devotion?”

Chapter Three

In samadhi – arrival of the Captain and Narendra

Just then, Narendra and Vishwanath Upadhyaya arrive. Vishwanath is the emissary of the king of Nepal and the representative of that kingdom. Thakur calls him Captain. Narendra is twenty-two years old and is studying for his B.A. He comes to Sri Ramakrishna at times, particularly on Sundays.

They salute Sri Ramakrishna and sit down. The Paramahamsa Deva asks Narendra to sing. A tanpura (stringed instrument) is hanging on the western wall of the room. Now, all eyes turn toward the singer while the banya[9] and the tabla are being tuned. They are all anxious for the singing to start.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Narendra): “Listen, this one doesn’t sound as good as it did before.”

Captain: “It’s filled to the brim, so there’s no sound. (All laugh.) Like a pitcher filled to the brim with water.[10]”

Sri Ramakrishna (to Captain): “But what about Narada and sages like him?”

Captain: “They spoke because they were moved by the sufferings of others.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes. Narada and Sukadeva came down from samadhi out of compassion. They spoke for the good of others.”

Narendra begins to sing:

Truth, goodness, and beauty[11] shine in the temple of my heart.

When will dawn that day when my mind, gazing on Him raptly, will dive deep into the ocean of that beauty divine?

When, O Lord, will infinite knowledge illumine my heart,

And this restless mind, made dumbfounded, take shelter at Your feet?

When, O Friend of my soul, will this mind be surrendered at the feet of the King of kings,

Where it will find peace and goodness without equal?  Only there will the goal of my life be attained!

Where else can I find the grace of heavenly bliss while in this very body, in this very life?

O Lord, at the sight of Your pure, unblemished form, at the sight of Your radiance, the darkness of sin will flee, even as darkness is dispelled by light.

Just as the chakor[12] frolics in delight at the rising of the moon,

So too does bliss, like embodied nectar, well up in my heart as I, O Lord, become intoxicated with Your light.

O, Friend of the lowly, fulfil my desire and light in my heart a blazing faith, as bright and steady as the polestar.

Then shall I remain immersed both night and day in the joy of love, forgetting myself in the finding of You.

But when will dawn such a day?

When Sri Ramakrishna hears the words ‘bliss, like embodied nectar,’ he goes into deep samadhi. He sits with his hands folded, facing the east. His body erect, he dives deep into the ocean of beauty – the All-Blissful Mother. He has lost all external consciousness. One cannot even tell if he is breathing. He is still and unblinking, sitting like an image drawn on canvas, gone from this kingdom.

Chapter Four

Ways to attain Sat-chit-ananda – difference between a man of knowledge and a devotee

Sri Ramakrishna’s samadhi comes to an end. When he was in samadhi, Narendra had left the room and gone to the eastern verandah where Hazra was sitting on a blanket with a rosary in his hand. Narendra and he had begun to talk. By now Sri Ramakrishna’s room is full of devotees. He looks around at them when his samadhi is over. He finds that Narendra is not there. The tanpura is lying on the floor. All the devotees gaze at him with curiosity.

Sri Ramakrishna: “He has lit the fire. Now it does not matter whether he stays or goes. (To Captain and the others) Give your mind to the Being of bliss and consciousness[13] and you will also feel joy. The bliss of God-consciousness is always there, it is only hidden by a veil. The less you are attached to the senses, the more the mind will go towards God.”

Captain: “The more you proceed toward Calcutta, the farther you go from Kashi; and the more you proceed toward Kashi, the farther you will be from your home.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “The more Radha advances toward Krishna, the more she smells the sweet fragrance of his body. The more one advances towards God, the more one gains fervour[14] and loving devotion to Him. The more a river advances to the sea, the more one sees its ebb and flow.

“The Ganges flows only in one direction within a man of knowledge. For him everything is like a dream. He always dwells in his own true Self. Within a devotee the Ganges does not flow only in one direction; it has its ebb and flow tides. The devotee laughs and weeps, sings and dances. The devotee wants to enjoy God. Sometimes he swims; sometimes he dives; other times he rises – just as a piece of ice floats up and down in water.” (Laughter.)

Sat-chit-ananda and Sat-chit-anandamayi – Brahman and Primal Power are inseparable

“The jnani wants to know Brahman, but the devotee wants the Almighty Lord possessed of the six kinds of spiritual wealth. The fact is, Brahman and Shakti are inseparable. He who is Sat-chit-ananda is Himself Sat-chit-anandamayi.[15] For example, take a jewel and its lustre. When you talk of the lustre of a jewel, you think of the jewel – and when you talk of the jewel, you think of its lustre. Without knowing the jewel, you cannot know its lustre. Without knowing the lustre of a jewel, you cannot know what the jewel is.

“There is but one. Sat-chit-ananda is associated with different adjuncts because of differing manifestations of power. God has many forms – ‘Thou art He, O Mother.’[16] Where there is action (of creation, preservation, and dissolution), there is Shakti (Power). It is water, whether it is still or has ripples and bubbles over its surface. The same Sat-chit-ananda is Himself the Primal Power who brings about creation, preservation, and dissolution. When Captain is not working, he is still Captain, and when he is worshiping, he is the same being. When Captain goes to the Governor General, he is still the same – he is only assuming a particular role.”[17]

Captain:  “Quite right, sir.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “I said the same to Keshab Sen.”

Captain: “Keshab is deficient. He is self-willed; he is a gentleman, not a sadhu.”

Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “Captain doesn’t want me to visit Keshab.”

Captain: “Sir, I can’t do anything about your going.”

Sri Ramakrishna (irritated):  “You can go to the Governor General for money but I can’t go to Keshab Sen! He meditates on God and chants His name. You yourself say that one God has become all living beings and the universe, ‘Ishwara maya jiva jagat.’ ”

Chapter Five

With Narendra – synthesis of Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga

Saying this, Thakur leaves the room abruptly and goes to the northeast verandah. Captain and the other devotees wait for him to return. M., however, accompanies him to the verandah, where Narendra is talking with Hazra. Sri Ramakrishna knows that Hazra, who is given to dry reasoning, says, “The world is like a dream; all worship and offerings are mental delusions. One’s only aim is to meditate on one’s own true Self: ‘I am That.’”

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Well, what are you talking about?”

Narendra (smiling): “We’re talking about all kinds of things. We’ve been talking a long time.”

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “But pure knowledge and pure devotion are the same. Pure devotion takes you to the same place that pure knowledge does. But the path of devotion is smooth and easy.”

Narendra (quoting a song): “‘I have no need to reason. Mother, grant that I may be mad with Your love!’ (To M.) Look, I’ve read Hamilton. He wrote, ‘A learned ignorance is the end of philosophy and the beginning of religion’”.

Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “What does that mean, brother?”

Narendra: “When one completes the study of philosophy, one becomes a ‘learned fool.’ Then he begins to talk on religion. His religion starts then.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “Thank you, Thank you[18]!” (Laughter.)

Chapter Six

Chanting the name of God as evening approaches – many qualities of Narendra

After some time, seeing the evening draw nigh, most of the people depart. Narendra also leaves.

It is getting late, almost evening. The temple lighting attendants[19] are arranging for light all around. Two priests of the Kali and the Vishnu Temples are standing waist-deep in the Ganges to purify themselves, body and soul, before they perform the evening arati and offer the evening meal to the deities. Young men of Dakshineswar village, some with walking sticks, some with friends, have come out for a stroll in the garden. They walk along the embankment to enjoy the pure evening breeze made fragrant with flowers and to watch the slightly undulating breast of the fast-flowing Ganges in this month of Shravana. Some, perhaps more reflective than others, are strolling through the solitary panchavati. Sri Ramakrishna stands on the western verandah watching the Ganges for a while.

By the time darkness has fallen, the lamp men have lighted all the lamps. A maidservant comes to Sri Ramakrishna’s room, lights his lamp, and burns incense.

In the meantime arati has begun in the twelve Shiva temples. Soon after, it begins in the temples of Vishnu and Kali. Cymbals, gongs, and bells begin to ring in sweet solemnity, as the murmuring Ganges flows close by.

It is the first day of the dark fortnight of the month of Shravana. In a short time the moon appears. The big courtyard and the tops of the trees in the garden are bathed by rays of moonlight as is the water of the Ganges flowing so joyfully.

When evening falls, Sri Ramakrishna bows to the Mother of the Universe and chants ‘Haribol,’ clapping his hands. In his room are images of many gods and goddesses: of Dhruva, Prahlada, King Rama, Mother Kali, and Radha-Krishna. He bows down to all the deities, repeating their names, and then he says, “Brahman-Atman-Bhagavan, Bhagavata-Bhakta-Bhagavan, Brahman-Shakti, Shakti-Brahman; Veda, Purana, Tantra, Gita, Gayatri. My only refuge, my only refuge. Not I, not I, but You, only You. I am just the instrument, You are the Being who uses the instrument,” and so on.

After repeating these divine names, Sri Ramakrishna meditates on the Divine Mother, his hands folded. Some of the devotees walk on the bank of the river. Soon after arati is over, they come, one by one, and assemble in the Paramahamsa’s  room. He is sitting on the bed.  M., Adhar, Kishori and others are sitting in front of him on the floor.

Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “Narendra, Bhavanath, and Rakhal are ever-perfect souls. They belong to the class of the ishvarakoti.[20] Teaching them is not necessary. For example, Narendra doesn’t care for anybody. He was with me in Captain’s carriage. When Captain asked him to take a comfortable seat, he didn’t even look at him. He is independent even of me. And he doesn’t say what he knows lest I tell others in his presence that he is very learned. He has no delusion, no attachment – free from bondage. He is very talented in so many things – vocal and instrumental music, reading and writing. At the same time he has control over his senses. He says that he won’t marry. There is a great affinity between Narendra and Bhavanath – as between husband and wife. Narendra doesn’t come here very often. That is good. I become overwhelmed if I see him too often.”

[1]. A double-reed wind instrument, similar to an oboe.

[2]. Bhoga arati.

[3]. Hriday served Sri Ramakrishna for almost twenty-three years at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, until the day of Snana Yatra Festival (the ceremony of Jagannath’s going out in procession for a bath) in 1881.

[4]. The Divine Mother seated on a lion.

[5]. Samskaras.

[6]. Prarabdha karma.

[7]. Avirbhava – manifestation, visible presence.

[8]. Prarabdha karma.

[9]. A semi-circular percussion instrument played along with tabla.

[10]. Purna kumbha.

[11]. Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram: Absolute Truth, Absolute Good, and Absolute Beauty, which are one.

[12]. A red-legged partridge.

[13]. Chidananda.

[14]. Bhava.

[15]. All-Knowing, All-Intelligent and All-Blissful Mother of the Universe.

[16]. Tara.

[17]. Adjunct.

[18]. Sri Ramakrishna actually used these English words.

[19]. Faras.

[20]. Eternally free and perfect souls.