Reincarnation of soul & Inscrutability of God's ways

Thursday, November 16, 1882

The Master had come to Calcutta. In the evening he went to the house of Rajmohan, a member of the Brahmo Samaj, where Narendra and some of his young friends used to meet and worship according to the Brahmo ceremonies. Sri Ramakrishna wanted to see their worship.

He was accompanied by M. and a few other devotees.

The Master was very happy to see Narendra and expressed a desire to watch the young men at their worship. Narendra sang and then the worship began. One of the young men conducted it. He prayed, “O Lord, may we give up everything and be absorbed in Thee!” Possibly the youth was inspired by the Master’s presence and so talked of utter renunciation. Sri Ramakrishna remarked in a whisper, “Much likelihood there is of that!”

Rajmohan served the Master with refreshments.

Sunday, November 19, 1882

It was the auspicious occasion of the Jagaddhatri Puja, the festival of the Divine Mother.

Sri Ramakrishna was invited to Surendra’s house in Calcutta; but first he went to the house of Manomohan in the neighbourhood. The Master was seated in Manomohan’s parlour.

He said: “God very much relishes the bhakti of the poor and the lowly, just as the cow relishes fodder mixed with oil-cake. King Duryodhana showed Krishna the splendour of his wealth and riches, but Krishna accepted the hospitality of the poor Vidura. God is fond of His devotees. He runs after the devotee as the cow after the calf.”

The Master sang:

For that love, the mighty yogis practise yoga from age to age; When love awakes, the Lord, like a magnet, draws to Him the soul.

Then he said: “Chaitanya used to shed tears of joy at the very mention of Krishna’s name. God alone is the real Substance; all else is illusory. Man can realize God if he wants to, but he madly craves the enjoyment of ‘woman and gold’. The snake has a precious stone in its head, but it is perfectly satisfied to eat a mere frog.

“Bhakti is the one essential thing. Who can ever know God through reasoning? I want love of God. What do I care about knowing His infinite glories? One bottle of wine makes me drunk. What do I care about knowing how many gallons there are in the grog-shop?

One jar of water is enough to quench my thirst. I don’t need to know the amount of water there is on earth.” Sri Ramakrishna arrived at Surendra’s house. Many devotees had assembled there, including Surendra’s elder brother, who was a judge.

Futility of reasoning

MASTER (To Surendra’s brother): “You are a judge. That is very good. But remember, everything happens through God’s power. It is He who has given you your high position; that is how you became a judge. People think it is they who are great.

The water from the roof flows through a spout that is shaped like a lion’s head. It looks as if the lion were bringing the water out through its mouth. But look at the source of the water! A cloud gathers in the sky and rain falls on the roof; then the water flows through the pipe and at last comes out through the spout.”

SURENDRA’S BROTHER: “The Brahmo Samaj preaches the freedom of women and the abolition of the caste-system. What do you think about these matters?”

MASTER: “Men feel that way when they are just beginning to develop spiritual yearning.

A storm raises clouds of dust, and one cannot distinguish between the different trees-the mango, the hog plum, and the tamarind. But after the storm blows over, one sees clearly. After the first storm of divine passion is quelled, one gradually understands that God alone is the Highest Good, the Eternal Substance, and that all else is transitory.

One cannot grasp this without tapasya and the company of holy men. What is the use of merely reciting the written parts for the drum? It is very difficult to put them into practice on the instrument. What can be accomplished by a mere lecture? It is austerity that is necessary.

By that alone can one comprehend.

You asked about caste distinctions. There is only one way to remove them, and that is by love of God.

Lovers of God have no caste. Through this divine love the untouchable becomes pure, the pariah no longer remains a pariah. Chaitanya embraced all, including the pariahs.

The members of the Brahmo Samaj sing the name of Hari. That is very good. Through earnest prayer one receives the grace of God and realizes Him. God can be realized by means of all paths. The same God is invoked by different names.”

Master on Theosophy

SURENDRA’S BROTHER: “Sir, what do you think of Theosophy?”

MASTER: “I have heard that man can acquire superhuman powers through it and perform miracles. I saw a man who had brought a ghost under control. The ghost used to procure various things for his master. What shall I do with superhuman powers? Can one realize God through them? If God is not realized then everything becomes false.”

November 1882

It was about 4pm when Sri Ramakrishna arrived in Calcutta to attend the annual festival of the Brahmo Samaj, which was to be celebrated at Manilal Mallick’s house.

Besides M. and other devotees of the Master, Vijay Goswami and a number of Brahmos were present. Elaborate arrangements had been made to make the occasion a success. Vijay was to conduct the worship.

The kathak recited the life of Prahlada from the Purana. Its substance was as follows: Hiranyakasipu, Prahlada’s father, was king of the demons. He bore great malice toward God and put his own son through endless tortures for leading a religious life.

Afflicted by his father, Prahlada prayed to God, “O God, please give my father holy inclinations.”

At these words the Master wept. He went into an ecstatic mood. Afterwards he began to talk to the devotees.

MASTER: “Bhakti is the only essential thing. One obtains love of God by constantly chanting His name and singing His glories. Ah! What a devotee Shivanath is! He is soaked in the love of God, like a cheese-cake in syrup. “One should not think, ‘My religion alone is the right path and other religions are false.’ God can be realized by means of all paths. It is enough to have sincere yearning for God. Infinite are the paths and infinite the opinions.

The pure in heart see God

“Let me tell you one thing. God can be seen. The Vedas say that God is beyond mind and speech. The meaning of this is that God is unknown to the mind attached to worldly objects. Vaishnavcharan used to say, ‘God is known by the mind and intellect that are pure.’

Therefore it is necessary to seek the company of holy men, practise prayer, and listen to the instruction of the guru. These purify the mind. Then one sees God. Dirt can be removed from water by a purifying agent. Then one sees one’s reflection in it. One cannot see one’s face in a mirror if the mirror is covered with dirt.

“After the purification of the heart one obtains divine love. Then one sees God, through His grace. One can teach others if one receives that command from God after seeing Him.

Before that one should not ’lecture’. There is a song that says: You have set up no image here, Within the shrine, O fool! Blowing the conch, you simply make

Confusion worse confounded.

“You should first cleanse the shrine of your heart. Then you should install the Deity and arrange worship. As yet nothing has been done. What can you achieve by blowing the conch-shell and simply making a loud noise?”

Vijay sat on a raised stool and conducted the worship according to the rules of the Brahmo Samaj. Afterwards he sat by the Master.

MASTER (to Vijay): “Will you tell me one thing? Why did you harp so much on sin? By repeating a hundred times, ‘I am a sinner’, one verily becomes a sinner. One should have such faith as to be able to say, ‘What? I have taken the name of God; how can I be a sinner?’ God is our Father and Mother. Tell Him, ‘O Lord, I have committed sins, but I won’t repeat them.’ Chant His name and purify your body and mind. Purify your tongue by singing God’s holy name.”