Divine Incarnation

In the Incarnation there is a greater manifestation of God than in other men. Rāma said to Lakshmana, ‘Brother, if you see in a man ecstatic love of God, if he laughs, weeps, and dances in divine ecstasy, then know for certain that I dwell in him."

The Master remained silent. After a few minutes he resumed the conversation.

MASTER: “Keshab Sen used to come here frequently. As a result he changed a great deal. Of late he became quite a remarkable man. Many a time he came here with his party; but he also wanted to come alone. In the earlier years of his life Keshab didn’t have much opportunity to live in the company of holy men.

“I visited him at his house in Colootola Street. Hriday was with me. We were shown into the room where Keshab was working. He was writing something. After a long while he put aside his pen, got off his chair, and sat on the floor with us. But he didn’t salute us or show us respect in any other way.

He used to come here now and then. One day in a spiritual mood I said to him: ‘One should not sit before a sādhu with one leg over the other. That increases one’s rajas.’

As soon as he and his friends would arrive, I would salute them before they bowed to me.

Thus they gradually learnt to salute a holy man, touching the ground with their foreheads.

I said to Keshab: ‘Chant the name of Hari. In the Kaliyuga one should sing the name and glories of God.’ After that they began to sing the name of God with drums and cymbals.

Do you know how my faith in the name of Hari was all the more strengthened? Holy men, as you know, frequently visit the temple garden. Once a sādhu from Multan arrived. He was waiting for a party going to Gangasagar. (Pointing to M.) The sādhu was of his age. It was he who said to me, ‘The way to realize God in the Kaliyuga is the path of bhakti as prescribed by Nārada.’

One day Keshab came here with his followers. They stayed till ten at night. We were all seated in the Panchavati. Pratap and several others said they would like to spend the night here.

Keshab said: ‘No, I must go. I have some work to do.’ I laughed and said:

‘Can’t you sleep without the smell of your fish-basket? Once a fishwife was a guest in the house of a gardener who raised flowers. She came there with her empty basket, after selling fish in the market, and was asked to sleep in a room where flowers were kept. But, because of the fragrance of the flowers, she couldn’t get to sleep for a long time. Her hostess saw her condition and said, “Hello! Why are you tossing from side to side so restlessly?” The fishwife said: “I don’t know, friend. Perhaps the smell of the flowers has been disturbing my sleep. Can you give me my fish-basket? Perhaps that will put me to sleep.”

The basket was brought to her. She sprinkled water on it and set it near her nose. Then she fell sound asleep and snored all night.’ “At this story the followers of Keshab burst into loud laughter.

God, the scripture, and the devotee are identical

“Keshab conducted the prayer that evening at the bathing-ghat on the river. After the worship I said to him: ‘It is God who manifests Himself, in one aspect, as the scriptures; therefore one should worship the sacred books, such as the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Tantras.

In another aspect He has become the devotee. The heart of the devotee is God’s drawing-room. One can easily find one’s master in the drawing-room. Therefore, by worshipping His devotee, one worships God Himself.’

Keshab and his followers listened to my words with great attention. It was a full-moon night. The sky was flooded with light. We were seated in the open court at the top of the stairs leading to the river. I said, ‘Now let us all chant, “Bhagavata-Bhakta-Bhagavan.”

All chanted in unison, ‘Bhagavata-Bhakta-Bhagavan.’ Next I said to them, ‘Say, “Brahman is verily Śakti; Śakti is verily Brahman.” ’ Again they chanted in unison. ‘Brahman is verily Śakti; Śakti is verily Brahman.’ I said to them: ‘He whom you address as Brahma is none other than She whom I call Mother. Mother is a very sweet name.’

“Then I said to them, ‘Say, “Guru-Krishna-Vaishnava.”’ At this Keshab said: ‘We must not go so far, sir. If we do that, then all will take us for orthodox Vaishnavas.’

Brahman and Śakti

“I used to tell Keshab now and then: ‘He whom you address as Brahma is none other than She whom I call Śakti, the Primal Energy. It is called Brahman in the Vedas when it transcends speech and thought and is without attributes and action. I call it Śakti, Ādyāśakti , and so forth, when I find it creating, preserving, and destroying the universe.’ Difficulties of householder’s life “I said to Keshab: ‘It is extremely difficult to realize God while leading a worldly life. How can a typhoid patient be cured if he is kept in a room where tamarind, pickle, and jars of water are kept? Therefore one should go into solitude now and then to practise spiritual discipline. When the trunk of a tree becomes thick and strong, an elephant can be tied to it; but a young sapling is eaten by cattle.’ That is why Keshab would say in his lectures, ‘Live in the world after being strengthened in spiritual life.’ (To the devotees) “You see, Keshab was a great scholar. He lectured in English. Many people honoured him. Queen Victoria herself talked to him. But when Keshab came here he would be bare-bodied and bring some fruit, as one should when visiting a holy man. He was totally free from egotism. (To Adhar) “You are a scholar and a deputy magistrate, but with all that you are hen- pecked. Go forward. Beyond the forest of sandal-wood there are many more valuable things: silver-mines, gold-mines, diamonds, and other gems. The wood-cutter was chopping wood in the forest; the brahmachāri said to him, ‘Go forward.’ " Sri Ramakrishna came down from the steps of the Śiva temples and went to his own room through the courtyard. The devotees were with him. Just then Ram Chatterji came and said that the Holy Mother’s attendant had had an attack of cholera. RAM (to the Master): “I told you about it at ten o’clock this morning, but you didn’t pay any attention to me.”

MASTER: “What could I do?”

RAM: “Yes, what could you do! But there were Rākhāl, Ramlal, and others. Even they didn’t pay any attention.” M: “Kishori has gone to Alambazar to get medicine.”

MASTER: “Alone? Where will he get medicine?”

M: “Yes, alone. He will get it at Alambazar.”

MASTER (to M.): “Tell the nurse what to do if the illness takes a turn for the worse or if the patient feels better.”

M: “Yes, sir.”

The ladies mentioned before saluted the Master and were about to take their leave. Sri Ramakrishna again said to them: “Perform the Śiva Puja according to my instruction.

And have something to eat before you come here. Otherwise I shall feel unhappy. Come another day.

Sri Ramakrishna sat down on the porch west of his room. Narendra Bannerji, Hari, M., and others sat by his side. The Master knew about Narendra’s family difficulties. MASTER: “You see, all these sufferings are ‘because of a piece of loin cloth’. A man takes a wife and begets children; therefore he must secure a job. The sādhu is worried about his loin-cloth, and the householder about his wife. Further, the householder may not live on good terms with his relatives; so he must live separately with his wife. (With a laugh)

Chaitanya once said to Nityananda: ‘Listen to me, brother. A man entangled in worldliness can never be free.’ " M. (to himself): “Perhaps the Master is referring to the world of avidyā. It is the world of avidyā that entangles a householder.”

M. was still living in a separate house with his wife, on account of a misunderstanding with the other members of his family. MASTER (to Bannerji, pointing to M.): “He also lives in a separate house. You two will get along very well. Once two men happened to meet. One said to the other, ‘Who are you?’

Oh, I am away from my country’, was the other’s reply. The second man then asked the first, ‘And who are you, pray?’ ‘Oh, I am away from my beloved’, was the answer. Both were in the same plight; so they got along very well. (All laugh.)

“But one need not have any fear if one takes refuge in God. God protects His devotee.”

HARI: “Well, why does it take many people such a long time to realize Him?”

MASTER: “The truth is that a man doesn’t feel restless for God unless he is finished with his enjoyments and duties. The physician says, referring to the patient: ‘Let a few days pass first.

Then a little medicine will do him good.’

Nārada said to Rāma: ‘Rāma, You are passing Your time in Ayhodhya. How will Ravana be killed? You have taken this human body for that purpose alone.’ Rāma replied: ‘Nārada, let the right time come. Let Ravana’s past actions begin to bear fruit. Then everything will be made ready for his death.’ " HARI: “Why is there so much suffering in the world?”

MASTER: “This world is the līlā of God. It is like a game. In this game there are joy and sorrow, virtue and vice, knowledge and ignorance, good and evil. The game cannot continue if sin and suffering are altogether eliminated from the creation.

In the game of hide-and-seek one must touch the ‘granny’ in order to be free. But the ‘granny’ is never pleased if she is touched at the very outset. It is God’s wish that the play should continue for some time. Then-

Out of a hundred thousand kites, at best but one or And Thou dost laugh and clap Thy hands, O Mother, watching them!

In other words, after the practice of hard spiritual discipline, one or two have the vision of God, through His grace, and are liberated. Then the Divine Mother claps Her hands in joy and exclaims, ‘Bravo! There they go!’ "

HARI: “But this play of God is our death.”

MASTER (smiling): “Please tell me who you are. God alone has become all this-māyā, the universe, living beings, and the twenty-four cosmic principles. ‘As the snake I bite, and as the charmer I cure.’ It is God Himself who has become both vidyā and avidyā. He remains deluded by the māyā of avidyā, ignorance. Again, with the help of the guru, He is cured by the māyā of vidyā, Knowledge.

Ignorance, Knowledge, and Perfect Wisdom. The Jnāni sees that God alone exists and is the Doer, that He creates, preserves, and destroys. The vijnāni sees that it is God who has become all this.

After attaining mahabhava and prema one realizes that nothing exists but God. Bhakti pales before bhava. Bhāva ripens into mahabhava and prema.

(To Bannerji) “Do you still hear that gong-like sound at the time of meditation?”

BANNERJI: “Yes, sir. Every day. Besides, I have visions of God’s form. Do such things stop after the mind has once experienced them?”

MASTER: “True. Once the wood catches fire, it cannot be put out. (To the devotees) He knows many things about faith.”

BANNERJI: “I have too much faith.”

MASTER: “Bring the women of your family with those of Balarām’s.” BANNERJI: “Who is Balarām?” MASTER: “Don’t you know Balarām? He lives at Bosepara.” Sri Ramakrishna loved guileless people. Narendra Bannerji was absolutely guileless. The Master loved Niranjan because he, too, was without guile. MASTER (to M.): “Why do I ask you to see Niranjan? It is to find out if he is truly guileless.”