occult pwrs,part II

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NAMASTE

 

This is the other parable of Sri Ramakrishna's on occult powers:

 

SRI RAMAKRISHNA THE GREAT MASTER, page 541: Thus, through stories, the

Master explained to us in many ways that the attainment of such small powers,

compared with things in the spiritual world, was very trifling and quite

purposeless and was to be avoided by all means. We cannot abstain from

narrating here another story of the master: " A Yogin attained the power of

bringing about whatever he mentioned. Whatever he said to anybody came to

pass immediately. Even if he said to anybody, 'Die', he would die

immediately: If he said to him again, 'live', he would come to life at once.

One day while on a journey he met a devout holy man the Yogi found that he

was always repeating the name of God and meditating on Him. He was told that

the devotee had been practicing such austerities for many years. On seeing

and hearing all these things, the egoistic Yogi went up to that holy man and

said condescendingly, Well, you have indeed been repeating the name of God

for a long time; tell me if you have gained anything?' The holy man replied,

'What do I expect to get? I have no desire of getting anything except

realizing Him, and one cannot realize Him without His grace.That is why I

have been lying here and calling on Him that some day He will have

compassion on me, knowing that I am so humble and lowly.' The Yogi retorted,

'If you have not gained anything, then what is the utility of this useless

effort? Direct your effort so as to get something!' So advise, the devotee

remained silent. But a little later he asked the Yogi, 'Well, sir, may I

hear what you yourself have got?' The Yogi said, 'Well, do you want to

hear?, just see.' Saying so, he said to an elephant, 'Elephant, die.' and

the elephant dropped down dead at once. The Yogi said proudly, 'Do you see,

now see again.' With this, he said to the dead elephant, 'Elephant, live.'

And the elephant came back to life at once and stood there as before. The

Yogi now said triumphantly,'Well, have you seen?' The devotee had kept

silent so long; but now he said, 'Well what more have I observed than seeing

the elephant die and come back to life again! But will you please tell me

what you have gained thereby? Have you become free from repeated births and

deaths by attaining that power? Have you got deliverance from old age and

disease? Have you realized the indivisible Existence-Kwowledge-Bliss

Itself?' The yogi then remained speechless and was awakened. "

 

 

More on either Sunday or Monday about Gurupurnima (on this Wednesday, the

28th) and the importance of a guru.

 

Hari Om

-Om Lala