How are you trying, O my mind, to know the nature of God?

[Guest guest]

How are you trying, O my mind, to know the nature of God?

You are groping like a mad man in a dark room

He is grasped through ecstatic love, how can you fathom Him without

it ?

Only through affirmation, never through negation can you know Him,

Neither through Veda, nor through Tantra nor the six darsanas.

 

It is love elixir only that He delights, O Mind,

He dwells in the body's in most depth, in Everlasting Joy,

And, for that love the mighty yogis, practice yoga from age to age ,

When love awakes, the Lord like magnet draws to Him the soul.

 

He it is ,says Ramprasad,that I approach as Mother,

But must I give away the secret, here in the market-place?

>From the hints I have, O Mind, guess what the Being is!

 

While singing the Master went to samadhi. He was seated on the bench

facing west, the palms of his hand joined together, his body erect

and motionless. Everybody watched him expectantly. Vidyasagar, too,

was speechless and could not take his eyes from the Master.

 

After some time Sri Ramakrishna showed sign of regaining the normal

state. He drew a deep breath and said with a smile: The means of

realizing God are the ecstasy of love and devotion

- that is one must love God. He who is Brahman is addressed as the

Mother.

 

He it is, says Ramprasad, that I approach as Mother,

But must I give away the secret, here in the market-place?

>From the hints I have, O Mind, guess what the Being Is !

 

"Ramprasad ask the mind only to guess the nature of God. He

wishes it to understand that what is called Brahman in the Vedas is

address by him as Mother. He who is attributless also has attributes.

He who is Brahman is also Sakti. When thought of as inactive, He is

called Brahman,and when thought of as the Creator, Preserver and

Destroyer , He is called Primordial Energy, Kali.

 

"Brahman and Sakti are identical, like fire and its power to

burn. When we talk of fire we automatically also mean its power to

burn. Again, the fire's power to burning implies the fire itself.

If

you accept the one you must accept the other.

 

"Brahman alone is addressed as Mother. This is because Mother is

object of great love .One is able to realize God just through love.

Ecstasy of feeling, devotion, love and faith –these are means.

..

(Excerpts from Volume 1,The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna ,pg105-pg108)

 

Jai Ma!!!