Sri RamaKrishna says though god dwells in the hearts of all we should keep away from wicked people

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IN a forest there lived a holy man who had many disciples. One day he

taught them to see God in all beings and knowing this, to bow low before

them all.

 

A disciple went to the forest to gather wood for the sacrificial fire.

Suddenly he heard an outcry, " Get out of the way! A mad elephant is coming! "

 

All but the disciple of the holy man took to their heels. He reasoned that

the elephant was also God in another form.

 

Then why should he run away from it? He stood still, bowed before the

animal, and began to sing its praises. The mahut of the elephant was

shouting: " Run away! Runaway! "

 

But the disciple didn't move. The .animal seized him with its trunk, cast

him to one side, and went on its way. Hurt and bruised, the disciple lay

unconscious on the ground.

 

Hearing what had happened, his teacher and his brother disciples came to him

and carried him, to the hermitage.

 

With the help of some medicine he soon regained consciousness.

 

Someone asked him, " You knew the elephant was coming—why didn't you leave

the place? " " But, " he said, " Our teacher has told us that God Himself has

taken all these forms, of animals as well as men. Therefore, thinking it was

only the elephant God that was coming, I didn't run away. "

 

At this the teacher said: " Yes, my child,it is true that the elephant God

was coming; but the mahut God forbade you to stay there. Since all are

manifestations of God, why didn't you trust the mahut's words? You should

have heeded the words of the mahut God. "

 

God dwells in all beings. But you may be intimate only with good people; you

must keep away from the evil-minded. God is even in the tiger; but you

cannot embrace the tiger on that account!

 

You may say, " Why run away from a tiger, which is also a manifestation of

God? "

 

The answer to that is: Those who tell you to run away arc also

manifestations of God—and why shouldn't you listen to them?

 

God undoubtedly dwells in the hearts of all—holy and unholy, righteous and

unrighteous; but a man should not have dealings with the unholy, the wicked,

the impure. He must not be intimate with them. With some of them he may

exchange words,

but with others one shouldn't go even that far.

 

One should keep aloof from such people.

 

Source: Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna

 

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Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Prasanth Jalasutram

 

Love And Love Alone