Efficacy of Earnest Japa

A Vaishnava goswami was seated in the room. The Master asked him: “What is the way?”

GOSWAMI: “Sir, the chanting of God’s name is enough. The scriptures emphasize the sanctity of God’s name for the Kaliyuga.”

MASTER: “Yes, but can a mere name achieve anything without the yearning love of the devotee behind it? One should feel great restlessness of soul for the vision of God.

Suppose a man repeats the name of God mechanically, while his mind is absorbed in ‘woman and gold’. Can he achieve anything?

GOSWAMI: “But what about Ajamila then? He was a great sinner. But he uttered the name of Narayana on his death-bed, calling his son, who also had that name. And thus he was liberated.”

MASTER: “Perhaps Ajamila had done many spiritual things in his past births. He once practised austerity. Besides, those were the last moments of his life.

What is the use of giving an elephant a bath? It will cover itself with dirt and dust again and become its former self. But if someone removes the dust from its body and gives it a bath just before it enters the stable, then the elephant remains clean.

Suppose a man becomes pure by chanting the holy name of God, but immediately afterwards commits many sins. He has no strength of mind. He doesn’t take a vow not to repeat his sins. A bath in the Ganges undoubtedly absolves one of all sins.

But what does that avail? They say that the sins perch on the trees along the bank of the Ganges.

No sooner does the man come back from the holy waters than the old sins jump on his shoulders from the trees. (All laugh.) The same old sins take possession of him again. He is hardly out of the water before they fall upon him.

Therefore chant the name of God, and with it pray to Him that you may have love for Him. Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day.

Dogmatism condemned

(To the goswami) “With sincerity and earnestness one can realize God through all religions. The Vaishnavas will realize God, and so will the Saktas, the Vedantists, and the Brahmos.

The Muslims and Christians will realize Him too. All will certainly realize God if they are earnest and sincere.

“Some people indulge in quarrels, saying, ‘One cannot attain anything unless one worships our Krishna’, or, ‘Nothing can be gained without the worship of Kāli, our Divine Mother’, or, ‘One cannot be saved without accepting the Christian religion.’

This is pure dogmatism.

The dogmatist says, ‘My religion alone is true, and the religions of others are false.’ This is a bad attitude. God can be reached by different paths. “Further, some say that God has form and is not formless. Thus they start quarrelling.

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.

(To the goswami) “How can you say that the only truth about God is that He has form?

It is undoubtedly true that God comes down to earth in a human form, as in the case of Krishna. And it is true as well that God reveals Himself to His devotees in various forms.

But it is also true that God is formless; He is the Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. He has been described in the Vedas both as formless and as endowed with form. He is also described there both as attributeless and as endowed with attributes.

“Do you know what I mean? Satchidananda is like an infinite ocean. Intense cold freezes the water into ice, which floats on the ocean in blocks of various forms.

Likewise, through the cooling influence of bhakti, one sees forms of God in the Ocean of the Absolute. These forms are meant for the bhaktas, the lovers of God. But when the Sun of Knowledge rises, the ice melts; it becomes the same water it was before.

Water above and water below, everywhere nothing but water. Therefore a prayer in the Bhagavata says: ‘O Lord, Thou hast form, and Thou art also formless. Thou walkest before us, O Lord, in the shape of a man; again, Thou hast been described in the Vedas as beyond words and thought.

But you may say that for certain devotees God assumes eternal forms. There are places in the ocean where the ice doesn’t melt at all. It assumes the form of quartz.”

KEDĀR: “It is said in the Bhagavata that Vyāsa asked God’s forgiveness for his 3 transgressions.

He said: ‘O Lord, Thou art formless, but I have thought of Thee in my meditation as endowed with form; Thou art beyond speech, but I have sung Thee hymns; Thou art the All-pervading Spirit, but I have made pilgrimages to sacred places.

Be gracious, O Lord, and forgive these three transgressions of mine.’”

MASTER: “Yes, God has form and He is formless too. Further, He is beyond both form and formlessness. No one can limit Him.

Rakhal’s father was sitting in the room. At that time Rakhal was staying with the Master. After his mother’s death his father had married a second time. Now and then he came to Dakśineśwar because of Rakhal’s being there. He did not raise much objection to his son’s living with the Master. Being a wealthy man of the world, he was always involved in litigation. There were lawyers and deputy magistrates among Sri Ramakrishna’s visitors.

Rakhal’s father found it profitable to cultivate their acquaintance, since he expected to be benefited by their counsels in worldly matters.

Now and then the Master cast a glance at Rakhal’s father.

It was his cherished desire that Rakhal should live with him permanently at Dakśineśwar.

MASTER (to Rakhal’s father and the devotees): “Ah, what a nice character Rakhal has developed! Look at his face and every now and then you will notice his lips moving. Inwardly he repeats the name of God, and so his lips move.

Parable of the Homa bird

Youngsters like him belong to the class of the ever-perfect. They are born with God-Consciousness. No sooner do they grow a little older than they realize the danger of coming in contact with the world. There is the parable of the Homa bird in the Vedas.

The bird lives high up in the sky and never descends to earth. It lays its egg in the sky, and the egg begins to fall. But the bird lives in such a high region that the egg hatches while falling. The fledgling comes out and continues to fall. But it is still so high that while falling it grows wings and its eyes open.

Then the young bird perceives that it is dashing down toward the earth and will be instantly killed. The moment it sees the ground, it turns and shoots up toward its mother in the sky. Then its one goal is to reach its mother.

“Youngsters like Rakhal are like that bird. From their very childhood they are afraid of the world, and their one thought is how to reach the Mother, how to realize God.

How could these boys develop such knowledge and devotion?’

If a pea falls into a heap of dung, it germinates into a pea-plant none the less. The peas that grow on that plant serve many useful purposes. Because it was sown in dung, will it produce another kind of plant?

“Ah, what a sweet nature Rakhal has nowadays! And why shouldn’t it be so? If the yam is a good one, its shoots also become good. (All laugh.) Like father like son.”

M. (aside to Girindra): “How well he has explained God with and without form! Do the Vaishnavas believe only in God with form?”

GIRINDRA: “Perhaps so. They are one-sided.”

M: “Did you understand what he meant by the ’eternal form’ of God? That ‘quartz’? I couldn’t grasp it well.”

MASTER (to M.): “Well, what are you talking about?”

M. and Girindra smiled and remained silent.

Later in the afternoon the devotees were singing in the Panchavati, where the Master joined them. They sang together in praise of the Divine Mother:

High in the heaven of the Mother’s feet, my mind was soaring like a kite, When came a blast of sin’s rough wind that drove it swiftly toward the earth.

Maya disturbed its even flight by bearing down upon one side, I could make it rise no more.

Entangled in the twisting string of love for children and for wife, Alas! my kite was rent in twain. It lost its crest of wisdom soon and downward plunged as I let it go; How could it hope to fly again, when all its top was torn away? Though fastened with devotion’s cord, it came to grief in playing here; Its six opponents worsted it. Now Nareschandra rues this game of smiles and tears, and thinks it better Never to have played at all.

The singing continued. Sri Ramakrishna danced with the devotees. They sang:

The black bee of my mind is drawn in sheer delight To the blue lotus flower of Mother Syama’s feet, The blue flower of the feet of Kāli, Śiva’s Consort; Tasteless, to the bee, are the blossoms of desire. My Mother’s feet are black, and black, too, is the bee; Black is made one with black! This much of the mystery My mortal eyes behold, then hastily retreat. But Kamalakanta’s hopes are answered in the end; He swims in the Sea of Bliss, unmoved by joy or pain. The kirtan went on: O Mother, what a machine is this that Thou hast made!

What pranks Thou playest with this toy

3.5 cubits high!

Hiding Thyself within, Thou holdest the guiding string;

But the machine, not knowing it,

Still believes it moves by itself.

Whoever finds the Mother remains a machine no more;

Yet some machines have even bound The Mother Herself with the string of Love. It was a very happy day for all.

The Master, accompanied by M., was coming back to his room, when he met Trailokya, a Brahmo devotee, on the way. Trailokya bowed before the Master.

MASTER: “They are singing in the Panchavati. Won’t you go there?”

TRAILOKYA: “What shall I do there?”

MASTER: “Why, you will enjoy the music.”

TRAILOKYA: “I have been there already.”

MASTER: “Well, well! That’s good.”

It was about six o’clock in the evening. The Master was sitting with the devotees on the southeast verandah of his room.

MASTER: “A holy man who has renounced the world will of course chant the name of God. That is only natural. He has no other duties to perform. If he meditates on God it shouldn’t surprise anybody. On the other hand, if he fails to think of God or chant His holy name, then people will think ill of him.

But it is a great deal to his credit if a householder utters the name of the Lord. Think of King Janaka. What courage he had, indeed! He fenced with two swords, the one of Knowledge and the other of work. He possessed the perfect Knowledge of Brahman and also was devoted to the duties of the world. An unchaste woman attends to the minutest duties of the world, but her mind always dwells on her paramour.

“The constant company of holy men is necessary. The holy man introduces one to God.”

KEDĀR: “Yes, sir. The great soul is born in the world for the redemption of humanity. He leads others to God, just as a locomotive engine takes along with it a long train of carriages. Or again, he is like a river or lake that quenches the thirst of many people.”

The devotees were ready to return home. One by one they saluted the Master. At the sight of Bhavanath Sri Ramakrishna said: “Don’t go away today. The very sight of you inspires me.” Bhavanath had not yet entered into worldly life. A youth of twenty, he had a fair complexion and handsome features. He shed tears of joy on hearing the name of God.

The Master looked on him as the embodiment of Narayana.

Thursday, March 29, 1883

The Master had taken a little rest after his noon meal, when a few devotees arrived from Calcutta, among them Amrita and the well-known singer of the Brahmo Samaj, Trailokya.

Rakhal was not feeling well. The Master was greatly worried about him and said to the devotees: “You see, Rakhal is not well. Will soda-water help him? What am I to do now? Rakhal, please take the prasad from the Jagannath temple.”

Even as he spoke these words the Master underwent a strange transformation. He looked at Rakhal with the infinite tenderness of a mother and affectionately uttered the name of Govinda. Did he see in Rakhal the manifestation of God Himself? The disciple was a young boy of pure heart who had renounced all attraction to lust and greed.

Sri Ramakrishna was intoxicated day and night with love of God. At the sight of Rakhal his eyes expressed the tender feelings of a mother, a love like that which had filled the heart of Mother Yaśoda at the sight of the Baby Krishna.

The devotees gazed at the Master in wonder as he went into deep samādhi. As his soul soared into the realm of Divine Consciousness, his body became motionless, his eyes were fixed on the tip of his nose, and his breathing almost ceased.

An unknown Bengali, dressed in the ochre cloth of a monk, entered the room and sat on the floor. The Master’s mind was coming down to the ordinary plane of consciousness.

Presently he began to talk, though the spell of samādhi still lingered.

MASTER (at the sight of the ochre cloth): “Why this gerrua? Should one put on such a thing for a mere fancy? A man once said, ‘I have exchanged the Chandi for a drum.’

At first he used to sing the holy songs of the Chandi; now he beats the drum. (All laugh.)

There are 3-4 varieties of renunciation. Afflicted with miseries at home, one may put on the ochre cloth of a monk; but that renunciation doesn’t last long. Again, a man out of work puts on an ochre wearing-cloth and goes off to Benares.

After 3 months he writes home: ‘I have a job here. I shall come home in a few days. Don’t worry about me.’ Again, a man may have everything he wants. He lacks nothing, yet he does not enjoy his possessions. He weeps for God alone. That is real renunciation. “No lie of any sort is good.

A false garb, even though a holy one, is not good. If the outer garb does not correspond to the inner thought, it gradually brings ruin. Uttering false words or doing false deeds, one gradually loses all fear.

Far better is the white cloth of a householder. Attachment to worldliness, occasional lapses from the ideal, and an outer garb of gerrua- how dreadful!

“It is not proper for a righteous person to tell a lie or do something false even in a dramatic performance. Once I went to Keshab’s house to see the performance of a play called Nava-Vrindāvan. They brought something on the stage which they called the ‘Cross’. Another actor sprinkled water, which they said was the ‘Water of Peace’. I saw a third actor staggering and reeling in the role of a drunkard.”

A BRAHMO DEVOTEE: “It was K-.”

MASTER: “It is not good for a devotee to play such parts. It is bad for the mind to dwell on such subjects for a long while. The mind is like white linen fresh from the laundry; it takes the colour in which you dip it. If it is associated with falsehood for a long time, it will be stained with falsehood.

“Another day I went to Keshab’s house to see the play called Nimai Sannyas. Some flattering disciples of Keshab spoiled the whole performance.

One of them said to Keshab, ‘You are the Chaitanya of the Kaliyuga.’ Keshab pointed to me and asked with a smile, ‘Then who is he?’ I replied: ‘Why, I am the servant of your servant. I am a speck of the dust of your feet.’ Keshab had a desire for name and fame.

(To Amrita and Trailokya) “Youngsters like Narendra and Rakhal are ever-perfect.

Every time they are born they are devoted to God. An ordinary man acquires a little devotion after austerities and a hard struggle. But these boys have love of God from the very moment of their birth. They are like the natural image of Śiva, which springs forth from the earth and is not set up by human hands.

“The ever-perfect form a class by themselves. Not all birds have crooked beaks. The ever-perfect are never attached to the world. There is the instance of Prahlada.

Ordinary people practise spiritual discipline and cultivate devotion to God; but they also become attached to the world and are caught in the glamour of ‘woman and gold’. They are like flies, which sit on a flower or a sweetmeat and light on filth as well.

But the ever-perfect are like bees, which light only on flowers and sip the honey. The ever-perfect drink only the Nectar of Divine Bliss. They are never inclined to worldly pleasures.

The devotion of the ever-perfect is not like the ordinary devotion that one acquires as a result of strenuous spiritual discipline. Ritualistic devotion consists in repeating the name of God and performing worship in a prescribed manner. It is like crossing a ricefield in a roundabout way along the balk. Again, it is like reaching a near-by village by boat in a roundabout way along a winding river.

One does not follow the injunctions of ceremonial worship when one develops raga-bhakti, when one loves God as one’s own. Then it is like crossing a rice-field after the harvest. You don’t have to walk along the balk. You can go straight across the field in any direction.

When the country is flooded deep with water, one doesn’t have to follow the winding river. Then the fields are deep under water. You can row your boat straight to the village.

Without this intense attachment, this passionate love, one cannot realize God.”

Master’s experiences in samādhi

AMRITA: “Sir, how do you feel in samādhi?”

MASTER: “You may have heard that the cockroach, by intently meditating on the Bhramara, is transformed into a Bhramara. Do you know how I feel then? I feel like a fish released from a pot into the water of the Ganges.”

AMRITA: “Don’t you feel at that time even a trace of ego?”

MASTER: “Yes, generally a little of it remains. However hard you may rub a grain of gold against a grindstone, still a bit of it always remains. Or again, take the case of a big fire; the ego is like one of its sparks. In samādhi I lose outer consciousness completely;

but God generally keeps a little trace of ego in me for the enjoyment of divine communion. Enjoyment is possible only when ‘I’ and ‘you’ remain.

“Again, sometimes God effaces even that trace of ‘I’.

Then one experiences jada samādhi or nirvikalpa samādhi. That experience cannot be described. A salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean, but before it had gone far into the water it melted away.

It became entirely one with the water of the ocean. Then who was to come back and tell the ocean’s depth?”