For Valaya

[jijaji]

THE FIRST VISION OF KALI

Mother became to Sri Ramakrishna the only reality and the world became an unsubstantial shadow and, indeed, he soon discovered what a strange Goddess he had chosen to serve. He became gradually enmeshed in the web of Her all-pervading presence. To the ignorant She is, to be sure, the image of destruction; but he found in Her the benign, all-loving Mother. Her neck is encircled with a garland of heads, and Her waist with a girdle of human arms, and two of Her hands hold weapons of death, and Her eyes dart a glance of fire; but, strangely enough, Ramakrishna felt in Her breath the soothing touch of tender love and saw in Her the Seed of Immortality.

 

She stands on the bosom of Her Consort, Siva; it is because She is the Sakti, the Power, inseparable from the Absolute. She is surrounded by jackals and other unholy creatures, the denizens of the cremation ground. But is not the Ultimate Reality above holiness and unholiness? She appears to be reeling under the spell of wine. But who would create this mad world unless under the influence of divine drunkenness? She is the highest symbol of all the forces of nature, the synthesis of their antinomies, the Ultimate Divine in the form of a woman.

 

She now became to Sri Ramakrishna the only Reality, and the world became an unsubstantial shadow. Into Her worship he poured his soul. Before him She stood as the transparent portal to the shrine of Ineffable Reality.

Sri Ramakrishna began to spend the whole night in meditation. The worship in the temple intensified Sri Ramakrishna's yearning for a living vision of the Mother of the Universe. He began to spend in meditation the time not actually employed in the temple service; and for this purpose he selected an extremely solitary place.

 

A deep jungle, thick with underbrush and prickly plants, lay to the north of the temples. Used at one time as a burial ground, it was shunned by people even during the day-time for fear of ghosts. There Sri Ramakrishna began to spend the whole night in meditation, returning to his room only in the morning with eyes swollen as though from much weeping. While meditating, he would lay aside his cloth and his brahminical thread. Explaining this strange conduct, he once said to Hriday: "Don't you know that when one thinks of God one should be freed from all ties? From our very birth we have the eight fetters of hatred, shame, lineage, pride of good conduct, fear, secretiveness, caste, and grief. The sacred thread reminds me that I am a brahmin and therefore superior to all. When calling on the Mother one has to set aside all such ideas." Hriday thought his uncle was becoming insane.

"Art Thou true, Mother, or is it all fiction?" As his love for God deepened, he began either to forget or to drop the formalities of worship. Sitting before the image, he would spend hours singing the devotional songs of great devotees of the Mother, such as Kamalakanta and Ramprasad. Those rhapsodical songs, describing the direct vision of God, only intensified Sri Ramakrishna's longing. He felt the pangs of a child separated from its mother.

 

Sometimes, in agony, he would rub his face against the ground and weep so bitterly that people, thinking that he had lost his earthly mother, would sympathize with him in his grief. Sometimes, in moments of skepticism, he would cry: "Art Thou true, Mother, or is it all fiction -- mere poetry without any reality? If Thou dost exist, why do I not see Thee? Is religion a mere fantasy and art Thou only a figment of man's imagination?" Sometimes he would sit on the prayer carpet for two hours like an inert object. He began to behave in an abnormal manner, most of the time unconscious of the world. He almost gave up food; and sleep left him altogether.

 

Suddenly the blessed Mother revealed Herself. But he did not have to wait very long. He has thus described his first vision of the Mother: "I felt as if my heart were being squeezed like a wet towel. I was overpowered with great restlessness and a fear that it might not be my lot to realize Her in this life. I could not bear the separation from Her any longer. Life seemed to be not worth living. Suddenly my glance fell on the sword that was kept in the Mother's temple. I determined to put an end to my life. When I jumped up like a madman and seized it, suddenly the blessed Mother revealed Herself. The buildings with their different parts, the temple, and everything else vanished from my sight, leaving no trace whatsoever, and in their stead I saw a limitless, infinite, effulgent Ocean of Consciousness. As far as the eye could see, the shining billows were madly rushing at me from all sides with a terrific noise, to swallow me up! I was panting for breath. I was caught in the rush and collapsed, unconscious. What was happening in the outside world I did not know; but within me there was a steady flow of undiluted bliss, altogether new, and I felt the presence of the Divine Mother." On his lips when he regained consciousness of the world was the word "Mother".

GOD-INTOXICATED STATE

His many uncommon experiences

 

Yet this was only a foretaste of the intense experiences to come. The first glimpse of the Divine Mother made him the more eager for Her uninterrupted vision. He wanted to see Her both in meditation and with eyes open. But the Mother began to play a teasing game of hide-and-seek with him, intensifying both his joy and his suffering. Weeping bitterly during the moments of separation from Her, he would pass into a trance and then find Her standing before him, smiling, talking, consoling, bidding him be of good cheer, and instructing him. During this period of spiritual practice he had many uncommon experiences.

 

When he sat to meditate, he would hear strange, clicking sounds in the joints of his legs, as if someone were locking them up, one after the other, to keep him motionless; and at the conclusion of his meditation he would again hear the same sounds, this time unlocking them and leaving him free to move about. He would see flashes like a swarm of fire-flies floating before his eyes, or a sea of deep mist around him, with luminous waves of molten silver. Again, from a sea of translucent mist he would behold the Mother rising, first Her feet, then Her waist, body, face, and head, finally Her whole person; he would feel Her breath and hear Her voice.

 

Worshipping in the temple, sometimes he would become exalted, sometimes he would remain motionless as stone, sometimes he would almost collapse from excessive emotion. Many of his actions, contrary to all tradition, seemed sacrilegious to the people. He would take a flower and touch it to his own head, body, and feet, and then offer it to the Goddess. Or, like a drunkard, he would reel to the throne of the Mother, touch Her chin by way of showing affection for Her, and sing, talk, joke, laugh, and dance. Or he would take a morsel of food from the plate and hold it to Her mouth, begging Her to eat it, and would not be satisfied till he was convinced that She had really eaten.

 

After the Mother had been put to sleep at night, from his own room he would hear Her ascending to the upper storey of the temple with the light steps of a happy girl, Her anklets jingling. Then he would discover Her standing with flowing hair. Her black form silhouetted against the sky of the night, looking at the Ganges or at the distant lights of Calcutta.

 

from 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna'

 

 

 

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PEACE OUT NOW

 

[This message has been edited by jijaji (edited 08-22-2001).]

[Guest guest]

Thanx Jijaji! What can be said...

[amanpeter]

Wow! A whole thread for ME! Nobody ever gave me one before. Really, prabhu, you shouldn't have!

 

I especially like this part--so wild and free!!!

 

 

After the Mother had been put to sleep at night, from his own room he would hear Her

ascending to the upper storey of the temple with the light steps of a happy girl, Her anklets

jingling. Then he would discover Her standing with flowing hair. Her black form silhouetted

against the sky of the night, looking at the Ganges or at the distant lights of Calcutta.

 

from 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna'

[shvu]

 

Excellent selection Jiaji,

 

"Don't you know that when one thinks of God one should be freed from all ties? From our very birth we have the eight fetters of hatred, shame, lineage, pride of good conduct, fear, secretiveness, caste, and grief. The sacred thread reminds me that I am a brahmin and therefore superior to all. When calling on the Mother one has to set aside all such ideas."

Cool....

 

Sometimes, in moments of skepticism, he would cry: "Art Thou true, Mother, or is it all fiction -- mere poetry without any reality? If Thou dost exist, why do I not see Thee? Is religion a mere fantasy and art Thou only a figment of man's imagination?"

Which happens to be the million dollar question !

 

Cheers

 

[jijaji]

Yes Valaya ..........

 

A thread gift to you as you expressed attraction to the 'Saint of Dakshinesvar'

 

 

 

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PEACE OUT NOW

[jijaji]

Originally posted by amanpeter:

Wow! A whole thread for ME! Nobody ever gave me one before. Really, prabhu, you shouldn't have!

 

I especially like this part--so wild and free!!!

 

 

 

Yes Yes Valayaji, this story has it's climax in Ma Kali standing looking out over the Ganges and the distance lights of Calcutta.

What a description ...what a VISION.

When I first read this description almost a decade ago I remember I was spellbound for days recalling this episode over and over again in my mind..!

 

 

 

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PEACE OUT NOW

[amanpeter]

"Art Thou true, Mother, or is it all fiction?" As his love for God deepened, he began either to

forget or to drop the formalities of worship. Sitting before the image, he would spend hours

singing the devotional songs of great devotees of the Mother, such as Kamalakanta and

Ramprasad. Those rhapsodical songs, describing the direct vision of God, only intensified Sri

Ramakrishna's longing. He felt the pangs of a child separated from its mother.

 

Sometimes, in agony, he would rub his face against the ground and weep so bitterly that

people, thinking that he had lost his earthly mother, would sympathize with him in his grief.

Sometimes, in moments of skepticism, he would cry: "Art Thou true, Mother, or is it all

fiction -- mere poetry without any reality? If Thou dost exist, why do I not see Thee? Is

religion a mere fantasy and art Thou only a figment of man's imagination?" Sometimes he

would sit on the prayer carpet for two hours like an inert object. He began to behave in an

abnormal manner, most of the time unconscious of the world. He almost gave up food; and

sleep left him altogether.

 

Surely this is the thirst spoken of by Swami Vivekenanda. With such one-pointed intensity and complete obsession, sucess is insured for ANYONE! Whatever brings us to this point, we must consider MERCY! All the tools in the form of guru, sadhu, shastra are here. We have only ourselves to blame for remaining in some semi-concious lethargic fog. If so-called `practical` service does not drown us in a similar state of divine madness, what is the point, prabhus? Should we become like so many `Christians` that Srila Prabhupada warned us against, wanting only our daily bread (organic whole-wheat, please!), maybe with a little extra jam (honey not sugar!)?

 

Unless our God becomes truly ALIVE for us, how can we have the kind of highly personal relationship we seek in other embodied jiva souls, thereby transcending ties of family and friendship? Some will rationalize by saying God cannot be forced into revealing Himself/Herself, but I say that is exactly what God wants!!!

 

We should DEMAND that love which is promised in all the scriptures and NEVER allow ourselves to be satisfied with any thing less than our own personal tangible vision of the Divine! Prabhupada used to tell us that if Krsna likes us He'll give us everything, but if He loves us He'll take everything away. Shall we let ourselves be bought off then by mere trinkets? I think not! Let us remember our true identies as part and parcel of Sri Radha and follow in the footsteps of Her maidservants. Accept no less!

 

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amanpeter@hotmail.com

[jijaji]

nice.........

 

 

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PEACE OUT NOW

[Guest guest]

 

Ramakrishna lived in India between 1836 and 1886. As a Hindu he devoted himself to

worshipping the goddess, Kali. Nonetheless he believed that Kali was only one of the many ways

in which God revealed Himself to mankind. He also felt that all religions had the capacity to lead

sincere devotees to God, and that instead of wasting time disputing which religion was the one,

true religion, individuals should devote themselves to realizing Truth within the framework of their

own religion.

 

Some Hindu's regard Ramakrishna as a self-realized saint, while others regard him as one of

God's incarnation. According to Mahatma Gandhi, "The story of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's life

is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face."

 

This story comes to us today via the boook entitled, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. It is based

on a journal in which Mahendranath Gupta recorded interactions between Ramakrishna and

Ramakrishna's disciples.

 

"God has put you in the world. What can you do about it? Resign everything to Him. Surrender yourself at His feet. Then there will be no more confusion." (Ramakrishna)

 

 

[jijaji]

"One can rightly speak of God only after one has seen Him. He who has seen God knows really and truly that God has form and that He is formless as well. He has many other aspects that cannot be described.

 

"Once some blind men chanced to come near an animal that someone told them was an elephant. They were asked what the elephant was like. The blind men began to feel its body. One of them said the elephant was like a pillar; he had touched only its leg. Another said it was like a winnowing-fan; he had touched only its ear. In this way the others, having touched its tail or belly, gave their different versions of the elephant. Just so, a man who has seen only one aspect of God limits God to that alone. It is his conviction that God cannot be anything else."

 

Sri Ramakrishna

 

 

 

 

 

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PEACE OUT NOW

[Guest guest]

Ramakrishna:

 

"You may try thousands of times, but nothing can be achieved without God's grace. One

cannot see God without His grace. Is it an easy thing to receive grace? One must altogether renounce egotism; one cannot see God as long as one feels, 'I am the doer.'

 

"God doesn't easily appear in the heart of a man who feels himself to be his own master. But God can be seen the moment His grace descends.

 

Gentelman:

Sir, can one realize God through spiritual practice alone?

 

Narendra:

Realization depends on God's grace; without it mere worship and prayer do not help at all. Therefore one should take refuge in Him.

 

[Maitreya]

Originally posted by Satyaraja dasa:

Narendra:

Realization depends on God's grace; without it mere worship and prayer do not help at all. Therefore one should take refuge in Him.

 

If prayer and worship are performed consciously then they are acts of taking refuge, are they not?

 

 

[jijaji]

so cool.........

 

 

 

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PEACE OUT NOW

[jijaji]

Nature outside cannot give us any answer as to the existence of the soul, the existence of God, the eternal life, the goal of man, and all that. This mind is continually changing, always in a state of flux; it is finite, it is broken into pieces. How can nature tell of the Infinite, the Unchangeable, the Unbroken, the Indivisible, the Eternal? It never can. And whenever mankind has striven to get an answer from dull dead matter, history shows how disastrous the results have been. How comes, then, the knowledge which the Vedas declare? It comes through being a Rishi. This knowledge is not in the senses; but are the senses the be-all and the end-all of the human being? Who dare say that the senses are the all-in-all of man? Even in our lives, in the life of every one of us here, there come moments of calmness, perhaps, when we see before us the death of one we loved, when some shock comes to us, or when extreme p«blessedness comes to us. Many other occasions there are when the mind, as it were, becomes calm, feels for the moment its real nature; and a glimpse of the Infinite beyond, where words cannot reach nor the mind go, is revealed to us. This happens in ordinary life, but it has to be heightened, practised, perfected. Men found out ages ago that the soul is not bound or limited by the senses, no, not even by consciousness. We have to understand that this consciousness is only the name of one link in the infinite chain. Being is not identical with consciousness, but consciousness is only one part of Being. Beyond consciousness is where the bold search lies. Consciousness is bound by the senses. Beyond that, beyond the senses, men must go in order to arrive at truths of the spiritual world, and there are even now persons who succeed in going beyond the bounds of the senses. These are called Rishis, because they come face to face with spiritual truths.

 

The proof, therefore, of the Vedas is just the same as the proof of this table before me, Pratyaksha, direct perception. This I see with the senses, and the truths of spirituality we also see in a superconscious state of the human soul. This Rishi-state is not limited by time or place, by sex or race. Vatsyayana boldly declares that this Rishi-hood is the common property of the descendants of the sage, of the Aryan, of the non-Aryan, of even the Mlechchha. This is the sage-ship of the Vedas, and constantly we ought to remember this ideal of religion in India, which I wish other nations of the world would also remember and learn, so that there may be less fight and less quarrel. Religion is not in books, nor in theories, nor in dogmas, nor in talking, not even in reasoning. It is being and becoming. Ay, my friends, until each one of you has become a Rishi and come face to face with spiritual facts, religious life has not begun for you. Until the superconscious opens for you, religion is mere talk, it is nothing but preparation. You are talking second-hand, third-hand, and here applies that beautiful saying of Buddha when he had a discussion with some Brahmins. They came discussing about the nature of Brahman, and the great sage asked, "Have you seen Brahman?No", said the Brahmin; "Or your father?No, neither has he"; "Or your grandfather?I don't think even he saw Him.My friend, how can you discuss about a person whom your father and grandfather never saw, and try to put each other down?" That is what the whole world is doing. Let us say in the language of the Vedanta, "This Atman is not to be reached by too much talk, no, not even by the highest intellect, no, not even by the study of the Vedas themselves."

 

Let us speak to all the nations of the world in the language of the Vedas: Vain are your fights and your quarrels; have you seen God whom you want to preach? If you have not seen, vain is your preaching; you do not know what you say; and if you have seen God, you will not quarrel, your very face will shine. An ancient sage of the Upanishads sent his son out to learn about Brahman, and the child came back, and the father asked, "What have you learnt?" The child replied he had learnt so many sciences. But the father said, "That is nothing, go back." And the son went back, and when he returned again the father asked the same question, and the same answer came form the child. Once more he had to go back. And the next time he came, his whole face was shining; and his father stood up and declared, "Ay, today, my child, your face shines like a knower of Brahman." When you have known God, your very face will be changed, your voice will be changed, your whole appearance will be changed. You will be a blessing to mankind; none will be able to resist the Rishi. This is the Rishi-hood, the ideal in our religion. The rest, all these talks and reasonings and philosophies and dualisms and monisms, and even the Vedas themselves are but preparations, secondary things. The other is primary. The Vedas, grammar, astronomy, etc., all these are secondary; that is supreme knowledge which makes us realise the Unchangeable One. Those who realised are the sages whom we find in the Vedas; and we understand how this Rishi is the name of a type, of a class, which every one of us, as true Hindus, is expected to become at some period of our life, and becoming which, to the Hindu, means salvation. Not belief in doctrines, not going to thousands of temples, nor bathing in all the rivers in the world, but becoming the Rishi, the Mantra-drashta, that is freedom, that is salvation.

 

Svami Vivekananda - - -complete works

 

 

 

 

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PEACE OUT NOW

[talasiga]

A Personal Experience

(c. 1971)

 

Before I could bow to Ramakrishna

He bowed through me

With such gravity

I could only

leave

the shrine room

by rolling on the floor

We know that love is heart felt

but that day my head also felt It.

 

 

.

.

.

stunned talasiga@hotmail.com

[amanpeter]

Originally posted by Satyaraja dasa:

Maitreya:If prayer and worship are performed consciously then they are acts of taking refuge, are they not?

 

Satyaraj: Hari is the big boss. He says: "Abandon all this non-sense of religion and simply surrender to Me." (Gita 18.66)

 

Let's surrender with a sincere heart simply by stating: "Hari I am Yours!" What is the use of mantras, mudras, rules and regulations of puja and arcana, so many vandanas, stotras, and so on if our heart does not belong to Hari?

 

Yes, certainly it's all about heart; but Hari prefers to steal it, especially when it belongs to Hara! In all circumstances we must somehow realize our absolute helplessness and unworthiness without Divine Grace. JAI RADHE!

[Maitreya]

While appreciating 18.66 it is also good to keep the context in mind by reading the verses immediately before it, where Krishna is advising Arjuna to act according to His direction, to worship Him and offer homage unto Him.

 

Surrender involves action if that is Krishna's desire.Not the surrender of a dead stone.

[amanpeter]

Originally posted by Maitreya:

While appreciating 18.66 it is also good to keep the context in mind by reading the verses immediately before it, where Krishna is advising Arjuna to act according to His direction, to worship Him and offer homage unto Him.

 

Surrender involves action if that is Krishna's desire.Not the surrender of a dead stone.

By the Divine Grace of Lord Caitanya, even the STONES danced! JAI GAURANGA! HARIBOL!

[Guest guest]

Ramakrisha:

"There is the saying: "I don't want to become sugar; I want to eat it." I never feel like saying, "I am Brahman." I say, "Thou art my Lord and I am Thy servant." My desire is to sing God's name and glories. It is very good to look on God as the Master and on oneself as His servant. Further, you see, people speak of the waves as belonging to the Ganges; but no one says that the Ganges belongs to the waves. The feeling "I am He" is not wholesome... He deceives himself as well as others. He cannot understand his own state of mind.

 

 

Ramakrishna, placing his hand over his heart:

There are two person in this (body). One, the Divine Mother... And the other is Her devotee.

 

 

Ramakrishan:

 

I have seen that He and the one who dwells in my heart are one and the same Person.

 

Narendra:

Yes, yes! Soham -- I am He.

 

Ramakrishan:

But only a line divides the two -- that I may enjoy divine bliss.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Maitreya:If prayer and worship are performed consciously then they are acts of taking refuge, are they not?

 

Satyaraj: Hari is the big boss. He says: "Abandon all this non-sense of religion and simply surrender to Me." (Gita 18.66)

 

Let's surrender with a sincere heart simply by stating: "Hari I am Yours!" What is the use of mantras, mudras, rules and regulations of puja and arcana, so many vandanas, stotras, and so on if our heart does not belong to Hari?

 

 

[amanpeter]

Originally posted by Satyaraja dasa:

Ramakrishna:

 

"You may try thousands of times, but nothing can be achieved without God's grace. One

cannot see God without His grace. Is it an easy thing to receive grace? One must altogether renounce egotism; one cannot see God as long as one feels, 'I am the doer.'

 

"God doesn't easily appear in the heart of a man who feels himself to be his own master. But God can be seen the moment His grace descends.

 

Gentelman:

Sir, can one realize God through spiritual practice alone?

 

Narendra:

Realization depends on God's grace; without it mere worship and prayer do not help at all. Therefore one should take refuge in Him.

The only action open to us is SURRENDER, realizing that eveything, spiritual and material, is wholly dependent on Divine Grace in any and all circumstances. We have no potency to do anything, except by Divine Grace! Devotional service uses us, we don't do devotional service!

 

Either we identify with the internal potency or the external potency, that is our only choice; and in our present situation, where we are completely entangled in the external potency, we are actually totally helpless! What to do except cry desperately like a baby would for it's mother! Even that requires the help of Divine Grace, because we've actually managed to make ourselves comfortable to some extent in this wretched place! Ignorance is bliss, they say...

 

The real question we must ask ourselves is, "What do we REALLY want and what are we willing to sacrifice to attain it?" Heart and soul don't come cheap, in fact we may already have lost both to this world of misery and illusion. Now what? How can I surrender myself with no self left to give? My heart has turned to stone! My soul belongs to Satan!

 

If we take a good honest look at ourselves and our helpless/hopeless situation, surrender can become quite spontaneous out of sheer desperation! After who knows how many tears, hair pulling, banging our heads against the wall, etc. etc. we finally experience what we need, WHEN WE JUST CAN"T TAKE IT ANYMORE! Suicide, madness and worse may be required for some of us to come to that point...

 

Otherwise, one can just continue on trying to accumulate good karma and avoid bad, maintaining a neat orderly and regulated life as much as possible with some good association, a little prasadam, occasional sevice, and so on. Eventually all necessary arrangements will be made by His Divine Grace, it's true, in spite of us. Krsna wants us even if we don't realize how much we want and need Him. It's just a matter of time for all of us. Some are just more impatient than others, I guess...

[shvu]

 

Gita 18.66 [sarvadharmAnparityajya] has been a hot topic for debate over the centuries and has to be interpreted very carefully.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by shvu (edited 08-22-2001).]

[Guest guest]

 

Ramakrishna:

 

"When I was ten or eleven years old ... I first experienced samadhi. There are certain characteristics of God-vision. One sees light, feels joy, and experiences the upsurge of a great current in one's chest, like the bursting of a rocket.

 

" When I first had my exalted state of mind, my body would radiate light. My chest was always flushed. Then I said to the Divine Mother: "Mother, do not reveal Thyself outwardly. Please go inside." That is why my complexion is so dull now. If my body were still luminous, people would have tormented me; a crowd would always have thronged here. Now there is no outer manifestation. That keeps weeds away.

 

" I saw the visions described in the scriptures. Sometimes I saw the universe filled with sparks of fire. Sometimes I saw all the quarters glittering with light, as if the world were a lake of mercury. Sometimes I saw the world as if made of liquid silver. Sometimes again, Isaw all the quarters illumined as if with the light of Roman candles..."

 

Narendra:

 

" Like an insane person I ran out of our house. Ramakrishna asked me, "What do you want?" I replied, "I want to remain immersed in samadhi." He said: "What a small mind you have! Go beyond samadhi! Samadhi is a very trifling thing."

 

[Guest guest]

Ramakrishna:

 

"I see people who talk about religion constantly quarrelling with one another. Hindus, Mussalmans, Brahmos, Shaktas, Vaishnavas, Shaivas, all quarrel with one another. They haven't the intelligence to understand that He who is called Krishna is also Shiva and the Primal Shakti, and that it is He, again, who is called Jesus and Allah. "There is only one Rama and He has a thousand names." Truth is one; It is only called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the disagreement is due to differences in climate, temperament, and names. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart.

 

"God has made different religions and creeds to suit different aspirants.

 

 

"If there are errors in other religions, that is none of our business. God, to whom the world belongs, takes care of that."

 

[jijaji]

Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamritam

 

CHAPTER 8

 

THE MASTER'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT DAKSHINESWAR

Sunday, February 18, 1883.

SRI RAMAKRISHNA arrived at Govinda Mukherji's house at Belgharia, near Calcutta. Besides Narendra, Ram, and other devotees, some of Govinda's neighbors were present. The Master first sang and danced with the devotees. After the kirtan they sat down. Many saluted the Master. Now and then he would say, "Bow before God."

Master's attitude toward the wicked "It is God alone", he said, "who has become all this. But in certain places -- for instance, in a holy man -- there is a greater manifestation than in others. You may say, there are wicked men also. That is true, even as there are tigers and lions; but one need not hug the 'tiger God'. One should keep away from him and salute him from a distance. Take water, for instance. Some water may be drunk, some may be used for worship, some for bathing, and some only for washing dishes."

Paths of Knowledge and devotion

 

A NEIGHBOR: "Revered sir, what are the doctrines of Vedanta?"

 

MASTER: "The Vedantist says, 'I am He.' Brahman is real and the world illusory. Even the 'I' is illusory. Only the Supreme Brahman exists.

 

"But the 'I' cannot be got rid of. Therefore it is good to have the feeling, 'I am the servant of God, His son, His devotee.'

 

"For the Kaliyuga the path of bhakti is especially good. One can realize God through bhakti too. As long as one is conscious of the body, one is also conscious of objects. Form, taste, smell, sound, and touch -- these are the objects. It is extremely difficult to get rid of the consciousness of objects. And one cannot realize, 'I am He' as long as one is aware of objects.

 

"The sannyasi has very little conscious of worldly objects. But the householder is always engrossed in them. Therefore it is good for him to feel, 'I am the servant of God.' "

 

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PEACE OUT NOW

 

[This message has been edited by jijaji (edited 08-23-2001).]