Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Deliverer-1

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Most of us are educated in the so-called 'scientific' manner in schools,

colleges and universities.

 

But, we find ourselves, when reading the 'Scriptures', caught in the 'Whirlpool

of Visaalaakshi' (possibly, the Master meant to indicate the Power of 'Avidya'

or 'Ignorance'), to the point of 'no-return-back-to-life'.

 

Such then, is our intellectuality.

 

Thakur used to warn us of the 'Forest of Scriptures'. Again, He used to say

that 'Scriptures' contained a mixture of Sand and Sugar.

 

Again, He used to emphasise the importance of 'Discrimination', time and again.

 

Let us examine the literal translation of a verse embodying the essence and

basis of the method of 'Self-Enquiry', the method of meditation according to the

Path of Knowledge.

 

1 Since the (first person) thought, 'I am this body made of flesh',

2 is the string upholding

3 (the flowers of) the multi-various (second and third person) thoughts,

 

4 if (we) go inward (with the thought),

5 " Wherefrom does (this) 'I (am the body)' thought, spring ? " ,

 

6 (with all the) thoughts vanishing,

7 inside the Cave (of the 'Heart'),

8 by Itself abides, as the 'I-I',

9 the Knowldedge of the Self,

10 (and) this is the 'Silence',

11 the 'One Sky', (and) the Abode of Bliss.

 

The first three lines talk about a VedanticTruth,-as perceived and revealed for

our benefit by the Seers,-as to the structure of our egoistic

body-consciousness. This Truth is the Basis for the Vedantic Method of

'Self-Enquiry'.

 

The next two lines constitute the Description of the Spiritual Process of

'Self-Enquiry', for a person suffering from the egositic body-consciusness, the

structure of which was revealed in the three preceding lines.

 

These first five lines are based on the Assumption that one is overpowered by

the Egoistic Body-Consciousness. All Philosophies and Processes, based on this

Assumption, irrespective of the diversities embodied by them, fall under the

category of 'Vivartha', in Vedanta.

 

The last 6 lines embody the Description of the Final State of Realisation, which

is the Result of the Sprirtual Process elucidated in the middle two lines.

 

All Philosophies and Processes, based on this Description of the Final State of

Realisation, fall under the category of 'Ajatha', in Vedanta.

 

If one is a person of faith, he will instantly believe the basis set out in the

first three lines and proceed to the process set out in the next two lines.

 

On the other hand, if one is a person endowed with a questioning mind, he will

have the 'open reason' that will instantly 'see and hence admit, the Possibility

of Truth in the basis', which cannot be logically denied without having engaged

oneself wholeheartedly in the process, that is enunciated following upon the

basis, and proceed straight to engage oneself in the process.

 

If one is a person endowed with faith, he will instantly believe in the Glory of

the Final State of Realisation described in the last six lines, and will be

inspired to dive straight into the process set out in the middle two lines.

 

Again, if a person is endowed with a questioning mind, he will have the 'open

reason', that will instantly 'see and hence admit, the Possibility of Truth as

to the Final State of Realisation as set out in the Description thereof', which

cannot be logically denied without having engaged oneself wholeheartedly in the

process, which will lead to the Final State of Realisation described, and will

thus be inspried to dive straight into the process set out in the middle two

lines.

 

Thus, both the person of faith and reason, will dive straight into the Process

and rapidly begin to personally experience and hence validate in his life, both

for himself and for the welfare of humanity as a whole, the truths set out by

the basis enunciated in the first three lines and by the description as respects

the final state of realisation set out in the last six lines.

 

This is exactly found in the Life of Thakur. His individuality, being entirely

constituted of pure sattva, being a full descent of the Divine Being, Narayana,

perfectly embodied the full manifestation of Divine Faith and Reason.

 

Therefore, He could instantly, in a single enveloping vision, extract the

'Sugars' of Divine Truths from the Scriptures constituting the 'Mixtures of Sand

and Sugar' and embody them wholly in His Personality for ever and ever, for the

sake of the 'muddled' humanity.