THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

CHAPTER-IV; PART-2

Thursday, August 24, 1882. 

Sri Ramakrishna 

Sri Ramakrishna was talking to Hazra on the long northeast verandah of his room, when M. arrived.  He saluted the Master reverently.  

Spiritual disciplines necessary at the beginning:

MASTER: "I should like to visit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar a few times more.  The painter first draws the general outlines and then puts in the details and colours at his leisure.  The moulder first makes the image out of clay, then plasters it, then gives it a coat of whitewash, and last of all paints it with a brush.  All these steps must be taken successively.  Vidyasagar is fully ready, but his inner stuff is covered with a thin layer.  He is now engaged in doing good works; but he doesn't know what is within himself.  Gold is hidden within him.  God dwells within us.  If one knows that, one feels like giving up all activities and praying to God with a yearning soul."

So the Master talked with M. - now standing, now pacing up and down the long verandah. 

MASTER: "A little spiritual discipline is necessary in order to know what lies within."

M: "Is it necessary to practise discipline all through life?"

MASTER: "No.  But one must be up and doing in the beginning.  After that one need not work hard.  The helmsman stands up and clutches the rudder firmly as long as the boat is passing through waves, storms, high wind, or around the curves of a river; but he relaxes after steering through them.  As soon as the boat passes the curves and the helmsman feels a favourable wind, he sits comfortably and just touches the rudder.  Next he prepares to unfurl the sail and gets ready for a smoke.  Likewise, the aspirant enjoys peace and calm after passing the waves and storms of 'woman and gold'.

"Woman and gold" is the obstruction to yoga:

"Some are born with the characteristics of the yogi; but they too should be careful.  It is 'woman and gold' alone that is the obstacle; it makes them deviate from the path of yoga and drags them into worldliness.  Perhaps they have some desire for enjoyment.  After fulfilling their desire, they again direct their minds to God and thus recover their former state of mind, fit for the practise of yoga. 

"Have you ever seen the spring trap for fish, called the 'satka-kal'?"

M: "No, sir, I haven't seen it."

MASTER: "They use it in our part of the country.  One end of a bamboo pole is fastened in the ground, and the other is bent over with a catch.  From this end a line with a hook hangs over the water, with bait tied to the hook.  When the fish swallows the bait, suddenly the bamboo jumps up and regains its upright position. 

"Again, take a pair of scales for example.  If a weight is placed on one side, the lower needle moves away from the upper one.  The lower needle is the mind, and the upper one, God.  The meeting of the two is yoga. 

"Unless the mind becomes steady there cannot be yoga.  It is the wind of worldliness that always disturbs the mind, which may be likened to a candle flame.  If that flame doesn't move at all, then one is said to have attained yoga.

" 'Woman and gold' alone is the obstacle to yoga.  Always analyse what you see.  What is there in the body of a woman? Only such things as blood, flesh, fat, entrails, and the like.  Why should one love such a body?

"Sometimes I used to assume a rajasic mood in order to practise renunciation.  Once I had the desire to put on a gold-embroidered robe, wear a ring on my finger, and smoke a hubble-bubble with a long pipe.  Mathur Babu procured all these things for me.  I wore the gold-embroidered robe and said to myself after a while, 'Mind! This is what is called a gold-embroidered robe.' Then I took it off and threw it away.  I couldn't stand the robe any more.  Again I said to myself, 'Mind! This is called a shawl, and this a ring, and this, smoking a hubble-bubble with a long pipe.' I threw those things away once for all, and the desire to enjoy them never arose in my mind again."

It was almost dusk.  The Master and M. stood talking alone near the  door on the southeast verandah.   

MASTER (to M.): "The mind of the yogi is always fixed on God, always absorbed in the Self.  You can recognize such a man by merely looking at him.  His eyes are wide open, with an aimless look, like the eyes of the mother bird hatching her eggs.  Her entire mind is fixed on the eggs, and there is a vacant look in her eyes.  Can you show me such a picture?"

M: "I shall try to get one."

As evening came on, the temples were lighted up.  Sri Ramakrishna was seated on his small couch, meditating on the Divine Mother.  Then he chanted the names of God.  Incense was burnt in the room, where an oil lamp had been lighted.  Sounds of conch-shells and gongs came floating on the air as the evening worship began in the temple of Kāli.  The light of the moon flooded all the quarters.  The Master again spoke to M.

God and worldly duties:

MASTER: "Perform your duties in an unselfish spirit.  The work that Vidyasagar is engaged in is very good.  Always try to perform your duties without desiring any result."

M: "Yes, sir.  But may I know if one can realize God while performing one's duties? Can 'Rama' and 'desire' coexist? The other day I read in a Hindi couplet: 'Where Rama is, there desire cannot be; where desire is, there Rama cannot be.' "

MASTER: "All, without exception, perform work.  Even to chant the name and glories of God is work, as is the meditation of the non-dualist on 'I am He'.  Breathing is also an activity.  There is no way of renouncing work altogether.  So do your work, but surrender the result to God."

God and worldly duties:

M: "Sir, may I make an effort to earn more money?"

MASTER: "It is permissible to do so to maintain a religious family.  You may try to increase your income, but in an honest way.  The goal of life is not the earning of money, but the service of God.  Money is not harmful if it is devoted to the service of God."

M: "How long should a man feel obliged to do his duty toward his wife and children?"

MASTER: "As long as they feel pinched for food and clothing.  But one need not take the responsibility of a son when he is able to support himself.  When the young fledgling learns to pick its own food, its mother pecks it if it comes to her for food."

M: "How long must one do one's duty?"

MASTER: "The blossom drops off when the fruit appears.  One doesn't have to do one's duty after the attainment of God, nor does one feel like doing it then.

    "If a drunkard takes too much liquor he cannot retain consciousness.  If he takes only two or three glasses, he can go on with his work.  As you advance nearer and nearer to God, He will reduce your activities little by little.  Have no fear. 

"Finish the few duties you have at hand, and then you will have peace.  When the mistress of the house goes to bathe after finishing her cooking and other household duties, she won't come back, however you may shout after her."

Different groups of devotees:

M: "Sir, what is the meaning of the realization of God? What do you mean by God-vision? How does one attain it?"

MASTER: "According to the Vaishnavas the aspirants and the seers of God may be divided into different groups.  These are the pravartaka, the sadhaka, the siddha, and the siddha of the siddha.  He who has just set foot on the path may be called a pravartaka.  He may be called a sadhaka who has for some time been practising spiritual disciplines, such as worship, japa, meditation, and the chanting of God's name and glories.  He may be called a siddha who has known from his inner experience that God exists.  An analogy is given in the Vedanta to explain this.  The master of the house is asleep in a dark room.  Someone is groping in the darkness to find him.  He touches the couch and says, 'No, it is not he.' He touches the window and says, 'No, it is not he.' He touches the door and says, 'No, it is not he.' This is known in the Vedanta as the process of 'Neti, neti', 'Not this, not this'.  At last his hand touches the master's body and he exclaims, 'Here he is!' In other words, he is now conscious of the 'existence' of the master.  He has found him, but he doesn't yet know him intimately. 

"There is another type, known as the siddha of the siddha, the 'supremely perfect'.  It is quite a different thing when one talks to the master intimately, when one knows God very intimately through love and devotion.  A siddha has undoubtedly attained God, but the 'supremely perfect' has known God very intimately. 

Different moods of aspirants:

"But in order to realize God, one must assume one of these attitudes: Śānta, Dāsya, sakhya, Vātsalya, or Madhur.

"Śānta, the serene attitude.  The rishis of olden times had this attitude toward God.  They did not desire any worldly enjoyment.  It is like the single-minded devotion of a wife to her husband.  She knows that her husband is the embodiment of beauty and love, a veritable Madan. 

"Dāsya, the attitude of a servant toward his master.  Hanuman had this attitude toward Rama.  He felt the strength of a lion when he worked for Rama.  A wife feels this mood also.  She serves her husband with all her heart and soul.  A mother also has a little of this attitude, as Yaśoda had toward Krishna. 

"Sakhya, the attitude of friendship.  Friends say to one another, 'Come here and sit near me.' Sridāmā and other friends sometimes fed Krishna with fruit, part of which they had already eaten, and sometimes climbed on His shoulders. 

"Vātsalya, the attitude of a mother toward her child.  This was Yaśoda's attitude toward Krishna.  The wife, too, has a little of this.  She feeds her husband with her very life-blood, as it were.  The mother feels happy only when the child has eaten to his heart's content.  Yaśoda would roam about with butter in her hand, in order to feed Krishna. 

"Madhur, the attitude of a woman toward her paramour.  Radha had this attitude toward Krishna.  The wife also feels it for her husband.  This attitude includes all the other four."

M: "When one sees God does one see Him with these eyes?"

MASTER: "God cannot be seen with these physical eyes.  In the course of spiritual discipline one gets a 'love body', endowed with 'love eyes', 'love ears', and so on.  One sees God with those 'love eyes'.  One hears the voice of God with those 'love ears'.  One even gets a sexual organ made of love."

At these words M. burst out laughing.  The Master continued, unannoyed, "With this 'love body' the soul communes with God."

M. again became serious. 

SOURCE: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna