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

[Guest guest]

advaitin, br_vinayaka <vinayaka_ns> wrote:

>

>

>

> > >

> > > "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...........

 

(Continued)

 

9. The incarnations and the Power of Attorney

 

Many thoughts occur to our mind in connection with this doctrine of

acceptance of power of attorney. We find in the history of the world,

that it is the great souls alone, such as Lord Jesusu, Chaitanya and

others, who could sometimes gie assurance of this kind to some

people. Ordinary teachers have no power to do so. They can at the

most teach others the Mantras and particular practices with the help

of which they themselves made spiritual progress; or they can attract

people towards purity by living pure lives themselves. But when

paralysed by various kinds of worldly bondages, man reaches the state

of complete helplessness, and when asked to do even a trifling thing,

he pleads his inability to do it and asks for help in utter despair,

it is beyond the power of ordinary teachers to help him. It is beyond

the power of any man to say to another that he would take upon

himself all responsibilities for the latter's evil actions and that

he himself would experience their results on the latter's behalf. It

is when there is a very great decline of spirituality in the heart of

man that the lord out of his grace incarnates himself and suffers the

results of man's bondage. Although he does so, he does not absolve

him altogether, but makes him put forth some little effort, so that

he may learn. The Master used to say in this connection, " Man

finishesthe experiences of ten lives in one by their( the

incarnations') grace. "

 

10. Examples.

 

This is true of an individual as of a nation. It is this which has

been called in the Gita (XI), " The attainment of the divine eye" by

Arjuna for the purpose of having the vision of the universal form of

Bhahman; in the Puranas, " being blessed with the grace of God the

lord';in the Bengal Vaishnava scriptures, " The saving of Jagai and

Madhai or the crushing of the unbeliever in them"; and in the

Christian scriptures, " the vicarious atonement" of jesus through

taking upon himself the suffering of others. We could never have

realised that there is truth in all this, if we did not get an

indication of it in the life of Sri Ramakrishna.

 

The author of the book is Swami Saradanandaji who is one of the

direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. I will try to conclude the

topic will be concluded in my next posting.

 

HARI OM TAT SAT

 

Yours in the Lord,

 

Br. Vinayaka.