Translation of a verse A testimony in Sri Ramakrishna's life Part II

[Guest guest]

> >

> > "Give up [concepts] of righteousness and

> > unrighteousness (dharma and adharma), give up

> both

> > truth and untruth; having given up both truth

> and

> > untruth discard that by you abandon [all these]

> [i.e.

> > duality]."

> >

> > Transl. Prof. A.A.Ramanathan,

> > Adyar Library & Research

> Center, 1978

>

>

> Dear ShankarRamanji,

>

> Namaste,

>

> I would like to share my views with the fourum on

> the aforesaid topic

> in two or three postings...........

 

 

5.The State of Girish's mind after giving power of

attorney.

 

This was to Girish's liking. His mind was not calm.

And there swelled in his heart an infinite onrush of

love for, and reliance on the Master and his infinite

grace. He felt relieved that the bondage of rule,

which was a terror to him, was not gone for ever. It

was not sufficient to have the firm faith that

whatever he might dok the master would save him some

way or other by his divine power.

 

6.Giving Power of Attorney a bondage of love.

 

Giving the power of attorney to the Maste meant then

to Girish nothing more that this: That he would not

have to give up anything by means of personal efforts

or to bother about spiritual practices, and that the

Master would remove the last vestige of worldiness

from him mind through his own powers.

 

But he did not then realise that he had put

voluntarily round his neck a noose of love a hundred

times stronger than the bondage of rule which, he

thought, was so unbearable. He failed to dive

sufficiently deep into the significance of what he had

undertaken. He had not hten the power to realise that

it really meant that in any circumstance- favourable

or adverse, leading to fame of infamy, to happiness of

agonising pain he had nothing more to say or do , that

to bear them all without a murmur. All other thoughts

vanished from his mind and he was feeling the endless

grace of SRi RAmakrishna-infact, a new ego rooted in

SRi Ramakrishna was born and was fast developing in

him. A spirit of divine defiance of the world came

upon him, and he thought that whatever the world might

speak of him, even if it despised him, it wwas quite

immaterial; for, the Master was un-doubtedly his in

all circumstances and at all times. How could he then

know that the constant feeling of this new egoism is

regarded in devotional scriptures like Narada's

Bhaktisutras as a kind of spiritual practice and a

blessing that comes to human beings from an abundance

of good fortune? Girish, however was now free from

anxiety. And while eating, drinking or being engaded

in any other activity, he had but responsibility a

soothing thought, a balm to his mind, which over his

whole being and involuntarily making him meditate on

the Master, thus bringing about a rrevolution in

him,in all his thoughts and actions. He was happy,

though he didi not understand all that. For , he

thought, was it not a fact, that he ( Sri Ramakrihsna)

loved him and was more than his own?

 

7. How Girish was taught henceforward.

 

The master always taught that " Nobody's spiritual

attitude of mind should be interfered with", and he

used to act accordingly in his daily dealings with the

devotees. Knowing well Girish's spiritual mood, he

began to give instructions thenceforth in accordance

with that mood. One day when Girish said in the

presence of the Master, " I will do it", in respect of

a trifling matter, the master remonstrated suddenly

saying, "Look here! why do you say 'I will do it'?

Suppose you cannot do it.. what then? You should say,

'I shall do it if God so wills'." Girish on his part

felt, " This is quite right. I completely placed on

God all my resposibility, and he has accepted it. I

can do a thing only if he thinks it proper and good

for me and allows me to do so. How can I do it by my

own power?" Realizing this, he graduallygave up such

words and ideas as " I will do it", " I will go and so

on.

 

 

8. Girish's understanding of the deep significance of

giving the power of attorney.

 

Thus days rolled on, and at last the Master passed

away. Girish me with various calamities, eg the death

of his wife, son and others; but his mind began to

assert every time, " He ( Sri Ramakrishna) is allowing

these events to happen, only because they are good for

you( himself). You have transferred your

responsibility to him and he has accepted it; but he

has given you no assurance regarding the path along

which he will take you. Knowing that this path is easy

for you, he is leading you along it. You have no

reason to say 'no' or grumble against it. Were they

then empty words, that you gave him the power of

attroney or transferred your responsibility to him?'

Thus as days passed, the hidden meaning of 'Giving the

power of attorney became more and more clear to

girish. Was its meaning completely understood even at

last? Asked about it, Girish said, " Much remains to

be understood even now. Didi i know then that so much

lay hidden in this simple giving of the power of

attorney? I now find that at some time there is an end

to the spiritual practices like japa, austerities and

other devotional practices, but there is no end to the

work of a person who has given the power of attorney.

for he came to realize that he had to watch at every

step and every breath whether in all his thoughts and

deeds he was depending on Him and His power, or on

this wretched 'I'.

 

To be concluded in one or two postings.

 

HARI OM TAT SAT

 

Yours in the lord,

 

Br. Vinayaka.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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